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GENEVA—Iran and the United States concluded hours of indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday without reaching a deal, leaving another Middle East war on the table as the United States has deployed aircraft and warships in the region.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks, said there had been “significant progress in the negotiation,” while not providing details on what the sides had agreed or where they diverged.
Just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transfer the material abroad, and sought lifting of international sanctions—positions that indicated Iran was not prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands.
The talks reflected a widening gap over what a nuclear agreement would require. The United States wants a deal that would constrain Iran’s nuclear program, viewing an opening for negotiations even as it faces heightened instability at home amid nationwide protests, and it has put enrichment-related limits at the center of its approach.
Iran, for its part, said it hopes to avert war but maintains that it has the right to enrich uranium. Iran also signaled that it would not negotiate beyond the nuclear file during this round, including refusing to discuss other issues such as its long-range missile program and its support for armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Al-Busaidi said technical talks involving lower-level representatives would continue next week in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency is based. The negotiations would likely depend on the IAEA in any future agreement.
In separate comments tied to the talks, Iran’s foreign minister said the negotiations with the United States were among the country’s “most intense and longest rounds of negotiations,” while Abbas Araghchi offered few specifics beyond saying that “what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from our side.”
The lack of a deal comes after the third meeting since a June war in which Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran and the United States carried out heavy strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, leaving much of Iran’s nuclear program in ruins even as the full scale of the damage remains unclear. Araghchi represented Iran in the Geneva talks, while Steve Witkoff—serving as a special Middle East envoy—headed the U.S. delegation along with Jared Kushner, according to the report.
Beyond diplomacy, the potential for military escalation has sharpened fears on both sides. The report said Iran has said that if the United States attacks, U.S. military bases in the region would be considered legitimate targets, putting at risk tens of thousands of American service members, and Iran has also threatened to attack Israel. Araghchi told India Today that there would be “no victory for anybody” in a conflict and warned that the scattered location of American bases could draw in “the whole region,” describing it as “a very terrible scenario.”
If the Geneva negotiations failed to produce an agreement, the reporting also noted that U.S. officials suspect Iran is rebuilding elements of its nuclear program. The report cited U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying that Iran is “always trying to rebuild elements” of its program, and it said Iran has denied enriching uranium since June while blocking IAEA inspectors from visiting sites struck by the United States; satellite photos analyzed by the Associated Press have shown activity at two such sites.
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group, said it was a “good sign” that the United States did not walk away immediately after Iran presented its latest proposal, arguing that returning to talks meant there was “enough common ground between the two sides” even if a breakthrough was not yet guaranteed.
The report said uncertainty also remains over what any U.S. military action could mean for the broader region, including possible retaliation and concerns tied to oil shipping. It said Brent crude has risen in recent days amid the tension, and that in Iran’s previous engagement it briefly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.