Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Tehran on Sunday for Geneva to attend the second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, state media reported, a development confirmed by AFP.According to Agence France-Presse, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Araghchi “led a diplomatic and technical delegation that left Tehran on Sunday evening for Geneva to conduct the second round of nuclear negotiations and hold a series of diplomatic consultations.” “Iran-US indirect nuclear talks will be held on Tuesday under the mediation and good offices of Oman.”
The talks follow the first round of talks in Muscat on February 6, when Tehran and Washington resumed talks months after previous efforts failed. Those talks collapsed last June after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day conflict that included a U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.Oman again mediated discussions. During his visit to Geneva, Araghchi is expected to meet with his Swiss and Omani counterparts as well as International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi and other international officials, the foreign ministry said. Switzerland has long represented U.S. interests in Iran since the two countries severed diplomatic ties following the 1980 hostage crisis.The re-engagement comes amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that Washington could take military action if Tehran does not curb its nuclear activities and deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region after Iran cracked down on anti-government protests last month. Iran has said it would retaliate if an attack occurred, while Gulf Arab states warned an escalation could spark a wider regional conflict. Recently, Tehran has also said it may scale back its nuclear program if the United States agrees to lift sanctions. The Trump administration insists Iran must stop all uranium enrichment, but Tehran has rejected the demand. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, although it has enriched uranium to 60% purity in the past, close to weapons-grade levels.Agence France-Presse reported that Araghchi led an Iranian delegation to hold talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Muscat on February 6.Fars news agency quoted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Gambari as saying that Tehran was seeking an agreement that would bring economic benefits to both countries, including in aviation, mining, oil and gas. “For this agreement to be viable, it is critical that the United States is also able to benefit from it in areas with the potential for strong and rapid economic returns,” he said.(Based on input from each agency)
