‘Positive’ US-Iran Geneva nuclear talks yield fresh negotiations

Iran announces new nuclear talks with USA for next week Keystone-SDA

Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva yielded "positive" results, leading to a potential fresh round of "technical talks" in Vienna next week.

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Details of a possible agreement could be negotiated in the Austrian capital, where the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is located.

“It was the best and most serious round,” foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in the Swiss city of Geneva. A US official described the round of negotiations to the US portal Axios as “positive”.

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But both sides were “still far apart” on important issues, the Wall Street Journal reported after the conclusion of the third round of negotiations in Geneva. The meetings are primarily concerned with the controversial Iranian nuclear programme.

The US wants to prevent the leadership in Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian government denies such intentions, but is prepared to limit its nuclear programme. In return, Tehran is demanding the lifting of tough economic sanctions.

Trump’s ultimatum

Oman’s foreign minister Badr al-Bussaidi, who is mediating between the two sides, announced new talks for next week. Firstly, there will be consultations with the governments and the preparation of a number of documents. This will take time, said Iran’s Araghchi.

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However, it is still unclear whether there will actually be another round of negotiations between the two sides. A week ago, US President Donald Trump gave the Iranian leadership an ultimatum until the beginning of March. “Either we reach an agreement or it will be unfortunate for them”. Trump has threatened to take military action if no agreement is reached.

What will Trump decide?

The US broadcaster ABC News reported that Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US Regional Command for the Middle East (Centcom), briefed Trump on military options on Thursday – the day of the negotiations in Geneva. The broadcaster referred to a person close to Trump. Axios also reported this. US Chief of Staff Dan Caine also attended the meeting, both media reported.

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According to media reports, Caine had recently warned Trump and his team about the risks of military action in Iran. In particular, he sees the danger of becoming embroiled in a protracted conflict.

Middle East war

However, US vice-president JD Vance does not fear that possible US attacks on Iran could embroil his country in a protracted war in the Middle East. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, Vance told the newspaper that he did not know what Trump would decide. He described both military strikes “to make sure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon” and a diplomatic solution as options.

“The idea that we’re going to be in a war in the Middle East for years with no end in sight – there’s no way that’s going to happen,” Vance said, according to the newspaper. The vice-president referred to the limited US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities last year and the military operation in Venezuela in January, which were “very clearly defined”.

Iran has warned that it will view any attack, however limited, as a trigger for a comprehensive response. “This could be the last chance to reach an agreement,” the Wall Street Journal quoted Saeid Golkar, an expert on Iran’s military at the University of Tennessee, as saying. “If this fails, the US will next resolve by military means what it cannot resolve by diplomatic means.”

Massive US presence

The US military has now deployed a massive force with two aircraft carriers, additional warships, dozens of fighter jets as well as air defence and military aircraft to the Middle East. These include aircraft for aerial refuelling, which are needed for intensive bombing over long distances. According to the US media, this is the largest deployment of US air forces in the region since the Iraq war in 2003.

Iran’s delegation officially rejected several US demands in the latest indirect negotiations, as reported by Iranian state media. The country is not prepared to transfer its more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium abroad.

The government is also insisting on its right to utilise nuclear energy peacefully and to maintain fuel production in return. Iran is also demanding the lifting of the tough UN sanctions, as reported by the state news agency Irna.

The lead negotiators on the US side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, said during the negotiations that Iran would have to destroy its three nuclear sites in Natan, Fordo and Isfahan and deliver the remaining enriched uranium to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials. Any nuclear agreement must also “apply forever”, they said.

Adapted from German by AI/mga

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