US and Iran have agreed to continue negotiations, even as sharp differences over a potential nuclear deal and an expanded US military presence underscore the fragility of the process and the risk of confrontation.
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi confirmed that the next round of talks will be held in Geneva on Thursday, describing the move as a positive push toward finalising an agreement.
In a phone call on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stressed the need for constructive engagement and dialogue to secure a sustainable nuclear deal, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi earlier told MSNBC that Tehran would prepare a draft of a possible agreement within two to three days for submission to the US delegation.
In a separate interview with CBS News, he reiterated Iran’s willingness to resolve differences through negotiations and said he may meet US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva.
He said discussions could include a preliminarydraft covering Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme, sanctions relief, and Tehran’s right to uranium enrichment.
Deep Divisions Over Deal Terms
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that significant gaps remain, including over the scope and mechanism of sanctions relief and the timetable for lifting them.
Washington has insisted that any deal must ban uranium enrichment, remove enriched material, curb long-range missiles, and roll back support for regional proxies, conditions analysts say would be difficult for Tehran to accept.
The diplomatic efforts come amid heightened tensions and reports of increased US deployments at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, along with other regional bases. The talks follow two earlier indirect rounds held in Muscat on February 6 and in Geneva on February 17.
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