Tehran and Washington concluded mediated discussions in Switzerland with Iranian officials citing preliminary understandings while military drills unfolded in the Strait of Hormuz.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iranian officials said Feb. 17 that mediated negotiations with the United States in Geneva produced a general agreement on foundational principles that will guide further discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Following the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a Telegram post that the two delegations “were able to reach a general understanding on a set of guiding principles” and would proceed on that basis.
“This does not mean that we can reach an agreement quickly, but at least the process has begun. We hope this can be completed as soon as possible and are prepared to devote sufficient time to it. However, when it comes to drafting the text, the work becomes more detailed and complex,” Araghchi wrote, describing the progress as “good” compared with previous meetings.
He added that no specific timeline had been established but said, “We now have a clearer picture of what needs to be done and what steps should follow.”
Araghchi also emphasized that Iran remained “fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or aggressive action,” warning that the consequences of such actions “will not be limited to Iran’s borders.”
The foreign minister confirmed that Iran would continue engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, noting that the U.N. watchdog’s potential role in Iran–U.S. relations was discussed. Araghchi met with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in Geneva on Feb. 16. Grossi said the two held “in-depth technical discussions” ahead of the U.S.-Iran talks.
The IAEA on June 12 declared Iran noncompliant and in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran later suspended cooperation with the agency after U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, carried out under the codename Operation Midnight Hammer.
The Geneva meetings were held at the Omani Embassy, where U.S. officials engaged in indirect talks with Iranian representatives after earlier consultations between Tehran and Omani officials. Oman hosted the first round of indirect talks earlier this month, which concluded without an agreement.
While negotiations unfolded in Switzerland, Iran conducted military drills in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that portions of the vital oil transit route would close temporarily due to “security precautions” as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out exercises.
Iran has previously threatened to block the strait in response to an attack, a move that would affect roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments. The latest maneuvers followed a Feb. 16 drill that the state-affiliated Islamic Republic News Agency described as testing intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The regional developments followed President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
As talks continued, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued multiple posts on X directed at the United States.
“The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world,” Khamenei wrote Feb. 17. “The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again.”
In another post, he wrote: “The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
Khamenei also criticized U.S. involvement in Iranian affairs, writing that a sign of the “decline of the corrupt, oppressive US empire is its irrationality, such as interfering in our own country’s internal affairs.”
“They say, ‘Limit your missiles to this range.’ What’s that to do with you?! Without deterrent weaponry, a country will be crushed by the enemy,” he wrote, adding that Iran’s nuclear industry was “not for war.”
Trump, speaking Feb. 16 aboard Air Force One, said he would be indirectly involved in the second round of nuclear negotiations.
The talks are “very important,” Trump told reporters, adding that he expects Iran to enter into an agreement limiting its nuclear weapons program.
“We’ll see what can happen, but typically Iran is a very tough negotiator,” the president said. “I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”
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