Iran's top diplomat met the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Monday ahead of second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and said he would also meet Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the US-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday. “I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi on Sunday signalled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States. “The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us,” Takht-Ravanchi said. “If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement." "We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions,” he said.
Oman hosted a first round of indirect talks between the US and Iran on February 6. The US is also hosting talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, days ahead of the fourth anniversary of the all-out Russian invasion of its neighbour. Similar talks last year between the US and Iran about Iran’s nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran, which included the US bombing Iranian nuclear sites.
US keeps up military pressure
US President Donald Trump initially threatened to take military action over Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, but then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear program.
Trump said on Friday that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to join other military assets the US has built up in the region. He also said a change in power in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen”. Iran has said if the US attacks, it will respond with an attack of its own.
The Trump administration has maintained that Iran can have no uranium enrichment under any deal. Tehran says it won't agree to that. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
The direct meeting with Grossi is a significant step after Iran suspended all cooperation with the IAEA following the June war with Israel. The two also met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The IAEA said it has been unable to verify the status of Iran's near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war. Iran has allowed IAEA some access to sites that were not damaged, but has not allowed inspectors to visit other sites.
Also read: US must show seriousness in nuclear talks with Iran: Ravanchi
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