FLASH
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Tehran and Washington prepare for second round of talks in Geneva amid military tensions and economic pressure
Iran is aiming for a nuclear deal with the United States that provides economic benefits for both sides, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian diplomat, days ahead of the second round of talks between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month to address their decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear program and avoid a new military confrontation. U.S. officials told Reuters that the United States has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of a prolonged military campaign if talks fail.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a press conference in Bratislava, stated that President Donald Trump has made it clear that he prefers diplomacy and a negotiated solution, but stressed that this may not be realized.
"Nobody has ever been able to make a successful deal with Iran, but we will try," Rubio said.
Iran has threatened to strike American bases in the Middle East if attacked by American forces, but on Sunday it took a more conciliatory stance.
"For the sake of the sustainability of an agreement, it is essential that the US also benefits in areas with high and rapid economic returns," said Hamid Ghanbari, deputy director for economic diplomacy at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
According to him, joint interests in oil and gas fields, joint fields, investments in mining and even aircraft purchases are included in the negotiations. Ghanbari argued that the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers had not secured economic interests for the US.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the deal that had eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program and reimposed harsh economic sanctions on Tehran.
A source told Reuters that a US delegation, including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would meet with Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official confirmed the meeting to Reuters.
"Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to have important meetings and we'll see how this ends," Rubio said, without giving further details, adding that there should be no enrichment capacity, not just stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place.
While the talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal were multilateral, the current negotiations are taking place only between Iran and the United States, with Oman acting as a mediator.
Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that top diplomat Abbas Araqchi left Tehran for Geneva to participate in indirect nuclear talks with the US and meet with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other officials.
Ready to compromise
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled Iran's willingness to compromise on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, telling the BBC that "the ball is in America's court to prove that it wants to reach a deal."
The senior official pointed to the statement by the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization on Monday that the country could agree to dilute its highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief as an example of Iran's flexibility.
However, he reiterated that Tehran will not accept zero uranium enrichment, a key sticking point in past negotiations, while Washington sees enrichment inside Iran as a possible path to nuclear weapons. Iran denies it seeks to develop such weapons.
In June, the US joined Israel in a series of airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
The US is also increasing economic pressure on Iran. In a meeting at the White House earlier this week, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that the US would work to reduce Iranian oil exports to China, Axios reported on Saturday.
China accounts for more than 80% of Iran's oil exports, so any reduction in this trade would significantly reduce Iran's oil revenues. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
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