Iran says 'constructive' talks with US have reached 'broad agreement'
Talks near Geneva between Iranian and US delegations have been hailed as "constructive" by Iran's foreign minister, though there has been no date set for a further round of discussions.
Abbas Araghchi said the Oman-mediated discussions saw them agree on "a set of guiding principles" that would pave the way for a deal.
"Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a potential agreement," Araghchi told state TV.
The talks are a last-ditch attempt to avert threatened military action by the US, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warning President Donald Trump on Tuesday he would not be able to "destroy" the Islamic Republic.
According to AFP, talks were being held discreetly, with diplomatic police blocking the private access road to Oman's residence in the municipality of Cologny.
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Tensions intensified further on Friday after Trump deployed a second aircraft carrier - the world’s largest - to the Middle East. The USS Gerald R Ford will bring thousands more US troops and firepower to the region.
The US previously sent two aircraft carriers to the region ahead of its attacks on Iran last year.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also deployed ships and helicopters on Monday, and tested drones and missiles, in a military exercise in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei pushed back against the US threats against the country on Tuesday.
"In one of his recent speeches, the US president said that for 47 years America has not succeeded in destroying the Islamic Republic... I tell you: you will not succeed either," said Khamenei in a speech.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford followed a meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, which a senior administration official told the Daily Mail pushed the US president to harden his position.
“Netanyahu basically said, Iran plays games. You don't want to get played. Trump listened,” the official said.
Despite the threats, Iranian and US diplomats have already held a round of indirect negotiations in Oman.
Tehran stuck to its refusal to end enrichment of nuclear fuel, but both sides said they were open to further talks.
Araghchi arrived in Switzerland on Monday, where he met with his Omani counterpart, Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, to explain the country's "viewpoints and considerations regarding nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions," the Iranian government said.
Israel, which is widely accepted to have nuclear weapons itself, has accused Iran of seeking to acquire similar capabilities.
The Islamic Republic has insisted on its "inalienable right" to develop a civilian nuclear programme in accordance with the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and has denied it is pursuing a bomb.
Araghchi said on Tuesday that Iran sought neither to "manufacture nor to acquire nuclear weapons, which have no place whatsoever in Iran’s national security doctrine."
Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the NPT “explicitly recognises the inalienable right of all state parties to develop research, produce and use nuclear energy, including enrichment for peaceful purposes”.
“This right is inherent, non-negotiable and legally binding,” he said.
Trump issued numerous warnings against Iran after a deadly crackdown on mass protests in Iran in January, while leaving the door open to a diplomatic settlement.
Failing an agreement, the US president threatened Iran with "traumatic" consequences and even openly raised the possibility of overthrowing the government on Friday.
"What is not on the table: submission before threats," Araghchi said in a post on X on Monday, stating that he was in Switzerland "with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal".
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