Negotiations on Iran’s Nuclear Program Progress
WASHINGTON – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that U.S. and Iranian negotiators have established “guidelines” for a prospective agreement during the second round of discussions about Iran’s nuclear program.
“We’ve reached a general consensus on certain guidelines, and based on this, we’ll proceed to draft an agreement,” Araghchi stated in a televised address from Geneva, where the meetings took place.
However, he cautioned that this doesn’t imply a final agreement is imminent; rather, it’s just the beginning of the process.
The specifics of these “principles” remain unclear. The White House has not commented on the matter.
The Trump administration has called for expanded discussions to include Iran’s ballistic missile program and the treatment of dissenters, but Tehran maintains those topics are not open for negotiation.
“It must be a strong deal—no nuclear weapons, no missiles, nothing like that,” Trump told Fox Business Network host Larry Kudlow last week when discussing the potential agreement.
These Geneva talks followed indirect discussions in Oman earlier this month, which both sides had described as encouraging.
As the new talks commenced, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly mocked President Trump, suggesting that America’s military presence could easily be undermined.
“The U.S. president claims his military is the strongest in the world, yet there are times even the mightiest can’t get back up after being struck,” Khamenei was quoted as saying in Iranian media.
He went on to assert that U.S. warships could be at risk.
“Americans often state they’ve sent warships towards Iran. A warship is certainly a formidable piece of military hardware, but what’s truly dangerous are the weapons that could send it to the ocean floor,” his team tweeted.
Additionally, Iran has engaged in military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they temporarily closed parts of this critical waterway, which is vital for global oil transport.
Meanwhile, President Trump recently dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group.
Trump has consistently kept the option of military action against Iran on the table, and the current military buildup in the region has parallels to the deployment before the operation against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“I believe they want a deal. I don’t think they want the fallout from not achieving one,” Trump remarked to reporters during a flight on Air Force One.
Last June, Trump authorized airstrikes against three significant Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming the operations led to their “complete and utter destruction.”
Although Iran has persistently denied any intentions to develop nuclear weapons, past reports indicated a 60% enrichment level, significantly above what is necessary for civilian nuclear power.
When asked last Friday about the potential for regime change in Iran, Trump suggested, “That could be the best outcome we could hope for.” He also indicated that targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities again could be considered, stating, “If we did, that would be the least we could do.”
