TEHRAN, February 17. /TASS/. The second round of indirect negotiations between Iranian and US representatives is taking place in Geneva.
TASS has compiled the main information available at this time.
Latest round of talks
- A fresh round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States is taking place in Geneva, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
- The meeting is held at the embassy of Oman.
- The consultations will focus solely on Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions against Tehran, Iran’s state broadcaster said.
- According to the broadcaster, Iranian diplomats are pushing for retaining Tehran’s uranium enrichment program that Washington seeks to dismantle.
- The Iranian delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari, as well as "experts on technical, legal, and economic issues," Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
- Reuters reported that US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner would take part in the talks with Iran in Geneva.
- During the negotiations, Iran called on the US to lift all sanctions, the Tasnim news agency reported.
- According to the agency, Tehran also intends to discuss with Washington issues of trust in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.
Preparations for the meeting
- Earlier, Swiss Foreign Ministry Spokesman Pierre Goubet announced that Oman would host the US-Iranian talks in Geneva.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi met in Geneva on Monday ahead of the new round of indirect consultations.
- Araghchi also held a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss technical matters in advance of the talks.
Parties’ positions
- US President Donald Trump believes that the Iranian leadership understands potential consequences and seeks to strike a deal with Washington.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it would not be easy to reach an agreement with Tehran, but Washington would try to achieve this.
- Rubio noted that the US could sign a diplomatic agreement with Iran that would satisfy Washington’s requirements.
- There are no disagreements between the US and Israel regarding talks with Iran, US Senator Lindsay Graham (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) told Axios.
- According to Graham, the US and Israel regularly exchange information and fully coordinate their actions in the negotiation process.
- He noted that Trump was planning to make a final decision regarding a potential military scenario in Iran in the next few weeks. It will depend on the outcome of the negotiations.
- Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani told Al Jazeera that Washington was moving away from the idea of a military confrontation with Tehran.
- The lineup of Iran’s negotiating team reflects Tehran’s intention to hold results-oriented talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baghaei noted.
- Trump will not be able to destroy the Islamic Republic, just as previous American leaders failed to do so, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized.
Reported terms of the deal
- Washington and Tehran could discuss the possibility of US access to Iran’s mineral resources, CNN reported, citing sources.
- According to CNN, this issue had already been raised at US-Iran talks last year.
- In 2025, there were discussions about granting the US special access to developing Iran’s oil, gas and rare earth minerals.
- The topic is expected to be raised again, the source added.
Previous negotiations
- Five rounds of Oman-mediated nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in 2025 ended to no avail following Israel’s military operation against Iran and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
- Another round of talks on the Iranian nuclear dossier was held on February 6 in the Omani capital city.
- The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
- The American delegation was headed by US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.
- Oman delivered messages from the US to Iran after the first round of negotiations, Ali Larijani said.