The US and Iran concluded their second round of indirect talks in Geneva over a long-running nuclear dispute on Tuesday.
A senior Iranian official asserted that negotiations hinge on Washington avoiding unrealistic demands while the US is amassing a battle force in the region.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner took part in the negotiations, which Oman is mediating, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
According to Araghchi, Reuters said, the initial meetings resulted in “an understanding on main principles” between the US and Iran.
Araghchi also stated that the two parties still have issues to address, but that there have been positive developments compared to the previous round of talks.
He added that both parties would work on potential agreement documents and exchange them before setting a date for the third round of talks, emphasizing that this does not mean that the two countries will reach an agreement soon, but that “the path has started.”
Productive discussions were also held with Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, per Araghchi.
Nevertheless, the Iranian foreign minister demanded that explicit reference to the possible use of force by the US be brought to an immediate, unconditional end.
An Iranian official told CNN that Iran’s delegation would be returning to Tehran on Tuesday night, following the conclusion of the talks.
In an interview with Fox News, US Vice President JD Vance stated that the Trump administrations' primay interest is "we don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. We don't want nuclear proliferation."
"We would very much like, as the President has said, to resolve this through a conversation and a diplomatic negotiation," Vance continued, "but the President has all options on the table."
Iranian dissident media Iran International reported that, as Iran’s delegates left the Omani embassy, a group of protesters threw tomatoes at their vehicles and shouted “death to terrorists.”
Khamenei slams US attempts to strike nuclear deal
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denounced the US’s attempt to limit Iran’s nuclear potential in a series of posts on X/Twitter as talks were ongoing, claiming that the nuclear industry is “among the nation’s rights.”
“Peaceful nuclear industry is not for war; it is for running the country – for agriculture, for treatment and healthcare, and for everything that depends on energy,” he wrote. “What does it have to do with you Americans?”
He also appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency, stating that nuclear energy is an “undeniable right” under the organization’s guidelines.
In another post, the ayatollah argued that attempts to limit Iran’s weaponry were “irrational,” saying that “without deterrent weaponry, a country will be crushed by the enemy.”
US President Donald Trump said that he would be involved “indirectly” in the Geneva talks and that he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s.”
A previous attempt to revive talks was underway in June last year when Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, and was then joined by US B-2 bombers that struck nuclear targets. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that America’s seriousness on lifting sanctions on Iran and avoiding unrealistic demands are key to ensuring effective talks in Geneva.
The official, who declined to be named, said Tehran was coming to the negotiating table with “genuine and constructive proposals.”
The meeting took place at the residence of the Omani ambassador to the UN amid a heavy security presence. Some cars with Iranian diplomatic license plates were visible outside.
Meanwhile, the US military is preparing for the possibility of weeks of operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack, two US officials told Reuters.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a news conference in Budapest that it was hard to make a deal with Iran, but the US was willing to try.
Iran's IRGC Navy launches maritime drill in Strait of Hormuz
One day before these talks were due to resume, Iran held a military exercise in the Strait of Hormuz – an attempt by Tehran to push back against the US, a person familiar with the matter told the Post.
The exercise was reported by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It focused on the regime’s naval forces and was reportedly carried out under the supervision of the IRGC Commander Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Pakpour.
The exercise aimed to assess the readiness of Iran’s naval operations units and review security plans and scenarios for “reciprocal” military action by the IRGC, Tasnim reported.
Situated between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz is a key channel. It is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, making it a strategically important choke point. Iranian hardliners have advocated blocking the strait in response to escalating tensions with Washington.
The force was anticipated to offer a “decisive” response to any “anti-security plots in the maritime domain,” a source affiliated with the IRGC told Tasnim.
Iran has made efforts to fortify its nuclear facilities as well, especially those that were damaged during the US airstrikes last June.
Araghchi meets IAEA's Grossi to discuss nuclear talks
As for the United States, its military has moved over 50 fighter jets to the Middle East in the last 24 hours as part of its buildup of air and naval assets near Iran, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.
A host of F-16, F-22, and F-35 jets were observed heading to the Middle East by independent flight trackers.
Last week, American media outlets reported that the US was sending its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to bolster its forces in the Middle East ahead of an anticipated clash with Iranian forces.
The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships had previously been deployed in the Caribbean and, according to four anonymous US officials, were informed of their new destination on Thursday.
Already deployed to the area in January is the USS Abraham Lincoln, along with other notable air and naval assets.