Iran has promised to show flexibility at indirect nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva, held under the shadow of a large US military buildup and the threat of possible strikes.
The latest round of negotiations, the third this month, is focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief, with meetings mediated by Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner are due to take part on the American side, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi leads the Iranian team.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on state TV that Tehran will approach the talks with seriousness and flexibility, but only on nuclear and sanctions issues. He rejected attempts to add Iran’s ballistic missile programme to the agenda, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the missiles a major problem and claimed they are designed solely to strike America.
The negotiations come after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to outline a case for possible military action if diplomacy fails, insisting he will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Washington has deployed fighter jets, warships and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the region, in what analysts describe as the biggest US military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Iran has warned it would retaliate fiercely against any new attack, following joint US Israeli strikes on its nuclear sites last June. Oil prices edged higher on Thursday as traders weighed the risk that conflict could disrupt supplies, though gains were capped by rising US crude inventories.
Inside Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei faces intense pressure from a weakened economy, renewed street protests and anger over a harsh crackdown in January. President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Khamenei has issued a religious ban on weapons of mass destruction, arguing this means Tehran will not build nuclear bombs, even as it insists on its right to peaceful nuclear technology.
Diplomats say a deal is possible if both sides prioritise diplomacy, but deep divisions remain over how far the US will lift sanctions and how quickly Iran must roll back nuclear activities. A senior Iranian official said Tehran has offered new concessions in exchange for sanctions relief and recognition of its right to enrich uranium, yet both capitals still disagree on the scope and sequencing of any agreement.
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