Amman Today

publish date 2026-02-17 06:39:00

A second round of talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Geneva on Tuesday, after they were launched in February amid American threats to launch military action against the Islamic Republic, at a time when Tehran is talking about a “more realistic” approach by Washington regarding its nuclear file.

It did not take many weeks for US President Donald Trump to escalate his rhetoric towards Tehran, threatening to launch a military strike against the backdrop of the crackdown on the protests that have erupted since late December, and which have claimed the lives of thousands of people.

In a parallel context, Washington raised the level of its military presence in the Middle East, while Tehran responded by threatening to conduct an immediate response to any possible attack, as the Revolutionary Guard launched military maneuvers on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz.

The resumption of negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Muscat on February 6 came after intense regional diplomatic efforts, with a round being held on Tuesday in Geneva under the auspices of Omani diplomacy.

On Monday, Trump continued his pressure on Tehran, saying that he would participate “indirectly” in the talks, adding, “I don’t think they want to bear the consequences of not concluding an agreement.”

During his stay in Muscat, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, head of the Iranian delegation, held a meeting with his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry explained that Araqchi presented “the Islamic Republic’s point of view and considerations regarding the nuclear file and the lifting of US and international sanctions.”

The ministry’s statement also stressed Tehran’s “determination” to pursue “results-based diplomacy to ensure the interests and rights of the Iranian people, and peace and stability in the region.”

Read alsoTehran declares its readiness to make concessions in order to make negotiations with Washington successful and reach an agreement

On the other hand, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, will lead the American delegation in these negotiations, according to what the White House announced.

As for Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, he confirmed on Monday, “We hope to reach an agreement.”

These indirect negotiations, in which the Omanis are mediating between the Iranian and American delegations, are the first contact of this kind between the two parties since the collapse of a previous round last year after Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic in June.

During that war, the United States carried out strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.

At the Geneva table, Tehran insists on limiting the discussion to its nuclear file, through which Western countries accuse it of seeking to develop an atomic weapon, while Iran continually denies these accusations, while American and Western officials stress the need for any potential agreement to also address its ballistic program and its support for anti-Israel armed groups in the region.

Regarding the atmosphere of the recent consultations, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said on Monday that “looking at the discussions (in Muscat), we can cautiously conclude that the American position on the Iranian nuclear issue has become more realistic.”

Baghaei explained that “Iran’s inalienable rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have now been recognized,” including “the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including enrichment.”

Revolutionary Guard maneuvers

Also in Geneva, the Iranian Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.

Uncertainty prevails over the fate of Iran’s stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium, a figure recorded by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors during their last visit in June, before the Israeli and American strikes.

While Trump and American officials declare their preference for the diplomatic path, the United States continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region, as it deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group, and satellite images showed that the carrier was sailing about 700 kilometers south of the coast of the Islamic Republic.

Trump also reported on Friday that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, would head “very soon” to the Middle East.

In a related military development, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard began Monday carrying out maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz, according to what Iranian state television reported.

According to the channel, these maneuvers – the duration of which has not been determined – aim to prepare the Guard Forces to confront “possible security and military threats” in this strategic strait for maritime navigation, especially for the transit of oil and liquefied natural gas.

Iranian officials have long threatened to close the strait if Tehran was attacked.

On the Iranian internal level, American and Western pressures intensified after the protests broke out in late December due to deteriorating living conditions, before they turned into a broad protest movement against the leadership of the Islamic Republic, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Over time, the wave of protests largely subsided following a violent security confrontation by the authorities, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.

During his statement last week, Trump believed that “regime change” in Iran, that is, ending the rule after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, would be “the best that could happen.”

The American President added, “It is necessary to reach an agreement, otherwise it will be very painful,” adding, “I do not want that (a military strike) to happen, but we have to reach an agreement.”

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Sunday that any agreement must provide for the transfer of Iran’s entire stock of enriched uranium outside the country and the “dismantling” of its enrichment capabilities, in addition to addressing its missile program.

As for Tehran, it maintains its adherence to its right to a civilian nuclear program, and stresses that the country’s “defense capabilities” are not a negotiable topic.

France 24/AFP

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World News

Source 1 : https://www.france24.com/ar/الشرق-الأوسط/20260217-جولة-ثانية-مباحثات-واشنطن-وطهران-جنيف-تهديدات-عسكرية-تكثيف-الوساطة-العمانية-البرنامج-النووي-التخصيب

Source 2 : ألدستور