Iran’s foreign minister says nuclear talks with the US in Geneva have made progress
He says talks yielded general agreement on guiding principles
Iran and the United States agreed on key “guiding principles” during talks on Tuesday aimed at resolving their long-running nuclear dispute, though a final deal is not close, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said.
Oil prices declined following Araqchi’s remarks, with benchmark Brent crude dropping more than 1%, as his comments eased concerns about potential conflict in the region. The United States has deployed military forces there in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran.
“Various proposals were put forward and examined in depth. In the end, we reached a broad understanding on certain guiding principles,” Araqchi told Iranian media after the negotiations wrapped up in Geneva.
BOTH SIDES HAVE 'CLEAR NEXT STEPS.'
The indirect talks were held between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, on one side, and Abbas Araqchi on the other, with Oman acting as mediator. The White House did not respond to emailed requests for comment about the meeting.
Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr al-Busaidi, wrote on X that “much work remains to be done,” but said both Iran and the United States were departing with “clear next steps.”
As negotiations got underway on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported that Tehran would temporarily close part of the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial artery for global oil supplies—citing “security precautions” during military exercises by the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Iran has previously warned it could block the strategic waterway to commercial traffic if it comes under attack, a step that could disrupt roughly a fifth of the world’s oil shipments and send crude prices sharply higher.
After U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that “regime change” in Iran might be the best option, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, cautioned that any American effort to topple the government would fail.
“The U.S. president says their army is the strongest in the world, but even the strongest army can at times be struck so hard that it cannot rise,” he said, according to Iranian media.
Speaking later at a disarmament conference in Geneva, Araqchi said a “new window of opportunity” had emerged and voiced hope that the talks would produce a “durable” outcome that fully acknowledges what he described as Iran’s legitimate rights.
Earlier, Trump said he would take part “indirectly” in the Geneva discussions and expressed confidence that Tehran was seeking an agreement.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “We could have reached a deal instead of sending the B-2s to eliminate their nuclear capability. But we had to send the B-2s.”
The United States joined Israel last June in striking Iranian nuclear sites. Washington and Israel say they believe Iran aims to develop a nuclear weapon capable of threatening Israel’s existence. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, although it has enriched uranium far beyond levels needed for civilian energy production and closer to weapons-grade.
IRAN SAYS IT WILL ONLY DISCUSS NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
Since the strikes, Iran’s clerical leadership has been weakened by widespread street protests over a cost-of-living crisis, fueled in part by international sanctions that have sharply reduced the country’s oil revenues. The demonstrations were suppressed, reportedly at the cost of thousands of lives.
Washington has pushed to broaden the negotiations beyond nuclear issues to include Iran’s missile arsenal. Tehran, however, insists it is prepared to discuss only limits on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian officials have said they will neither abandon uranium enrichment entirely nor open talks on their missile capabilities.
Khamenei reaffirmed that Iran’s substantial missile stockpile is not up for negotiation, arguing that missile type and range are unrelated to the United States.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that the outcome of the Geneva discussions would depend on Washington avoiding what Tehran views as unrealistic demands and demonstrating genuine commitment to lifting the severe sanctions imposed on Iran.
US B-2 BOMBERS STRUCK NUCLEAR TARGETS
Tehran and Washington had been set to convene a sixth round of negotiations in June last year, but the talks were derailed when Israel—a U.S. ally—launched airstrikes against Iran. U.S. B-2 bombers later joined the campaign, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Tehran has since said it suspended uranium enrichment activities.
Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows member states to pursue civilian nuclear energy in exchange for renouncing nuclear weapons and cooperating with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Israel, which has not signed the NPT, maintains a longstanding policy of neither confirming nor denying possession of nuclear weapons—a strategy of deliberate ambiguity intended to deter adversaries. Many experts believe Israel does possess such weapons.
