Iran meets UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva ahead of second US talks

Body

Iran’s top diplomat met the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency in Geneva on Monday ahead of another round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program, according to the Associated Press. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi as the talks approached, with Oman preparing to host the U.S.-Iran sessions on Tuesday.

Araghchi also said he would meet Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, in connection with the Geneva talks. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote, “I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” and added, “What is not on the table: submission before threats.” The AP report said Araghchi’s remarks reflected Iran’s negotiating stance as the second round neared.

Oman is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva after an earlier round of indirect negotiations on Feb. 6, the AP said. The earlier indirect talks in 2025 broke down after Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran that included U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, the report added.

While diplomats met in Geneva, Iran’s military activity in the region drew attention alongside the diplomacy. The AP reported that Iran held another naval drill as President Donald Trump ordered an additional aircraft carrier be sent to the region, and Iranian state television said the exercise would test Iran’s intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The AP report said Iran began the drill early Monday in waterways described as critical international trade routes through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. It also cited EOS Risk Group, which said sailors passing through the region received a radio warning that the northern lane of the Strait of Hormuz—described as Iranian territorial waters—likely would see a live-fire drill on Tuesday, while Iranian state television did not mention live fire.

The AP reported that warnings of live-fire drills had appeared during a previous exercise announced at the end of January. It said the U.S. military’s Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard then, while acknowledging Iran’s “right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters” and warning against interfering with or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels. The AP also said tensions between the Iranian and U.S. navies rose further on Feb. 4 after a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and that Iran harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Diplomatic signals and U.S. expectations were also part of the backdrop for Monday’s meetings. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, speaking to the BBC, said “The ball is in America’s court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us,” and added, “If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement.” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that Iran was “ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions.”

Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way to Washington, the AP reported, Trump said of the U.S.-Iran talks, “I’ll be involved in those talks — indirectly — and they’ll be very important, and we’ll see what can happen.” The report added that Trump described Iran as a “tough negotiator,” and said, after initially calling Iran “good negotiators,” he corrected himself to say, “I would say they’re bad negotiators,” describing how the U.S. used B2s to respond to Iran’s nuclear program. Trump said, “I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, reiterated that the U.S. hopes to achieve a deal with Iran despite the difficulties, the AP said. He told reporters, “I’m not going to prejudge these talks,” and said the president “always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.”

The AP report said the Trump administration is seeking a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says it will not accept U.S. demands that allow no uranium enrichment under any agreement. It also noted that after Iran suspended all cooperation with the IAEA following the June war with Israel, the direct meeting between Araghchi and Grossi was a significant step. The IAEA said it has been unable to verify the status of Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war, and the report said Iran had allowed IAEA access to some sites not damaged but had not allowed inspectors to visit other sites.

The AP report said Grossi previously told the Associated Press that Iran’s uranium enriched to 60% purity could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs if it decided to weaponize its program, adding that it does not mean Iran has such a weapon. The report also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump last week in Washington to urge that any deal include steps to neutralize Iran’s ballistic missile program and end funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.