Iran is seeking a nuclear agreement with the United States that delivers economic benefits to both sides, an Iranian diplomat said on Sunday, days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and the U.S. resumed negotiations earlier this month to address their long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme and to avoid a new military confrontation. U.S. officials have told Reuters that Washington has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of prolonged military action if diplomacy fails.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Bratislava that President Donald Trump prefers a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out other options.
“No one has ever achieved a successful deal with Iran, but we are going to try,” Rubio said.
Iran has previously warned it would strike U.S. bases in the Middle East if attacked. On Sunday, however, it adopted a softer tone.
“For an agreement to last, it is essential that the U.S. also gains clear and quick economic benefits,” Hamid Ghanbari, a deputy head at Iran’s foreign ministry, told the semi-official Fars news agency.
He said potential areas of cooperation include oil and gas projects, mining, joint field development and aircraft purchases, adding that the 2015 nuclear deal failed to secure U.S. economic interests.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement, which had eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear activities, and reimposed strict economic sanctions on Tehran.
A source told Reuters on Friday that a U.S. delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official later confirmed the meeting.
Rubio said the envoys were travelling for “important meetings” but gave no further details.
Unlike the multilateral talks that led to the 2015 pact, the current negotiations involve only Iran and the United States, with Oman acting as mediator.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has travelled to Geneva to take part in the indirect talks and to meet the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iranian officials said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that Iran is open to compromise in return for sanctions relief, saying it is now “America’s turn to show it wants a deal.”
He cited Iran’s willingness to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, Tehran has again ruled out a complete halt to uranium enrichment, a key U.S. demand in past talks. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Tensions remain high. In June, the U.S. joined Israel in air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Washington is also increasing economic pressure. At a recent White House meeting, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to work to cut Iran’s oil exports to China, Axios reported.
