GENEVA — Oman has confirmed the start of a new round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva on Thursday morning.The talks started simultaneously with a meeting between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Foreign Ministry said on US social media company X.Busaidi stressed the importance of the “professional and technical” role of the IAEA and “the need to ensure transparency, credibility, and proper governance of the relevant procedures,” it added.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading Iran’s diplomatic delegation to the talks, which includes Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi, as well as a team of nuclear and legal experts.The American side, as in previous rounds, is led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.Tehran and Washington have held two rounds of indirect talks under Omani mediation since nuclear diplomacy resumed last month, following efforts by regional countries, including Türkiye, to ease tensions.After the previous round in Geneva – which followed the first round in Muscat – both sides offered positive assessments, agreeing on “guiding principles” that Iranian negotiators said could pave the way toward a potential agreement.The talks come amid a significant US military buildup in the region, alongside a series of recent drills conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program was a “major problem” that would have to be addressed eventually, as the missiles were “designed solely to strike America” and pose a threat to regional stability.”If you can’t even make progress on the nuclear program, it’s going to be hard to make progress on the ballistic missiles as well,” Rubio told reporters in Saint Kitts.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Press TV on Thursday that the negotiations would focus solely on nuclear topics and the lifting of sanctions, and said Tehran goes into them with “seriousness and flexibility”.US President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, underlining that while he preferred a diplomatic solution, he would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.He has deployed fighter jets, aircraft carrier strike groups as well as destroyers and cruisers in the region, hoping to pressure Iran into concessions.On Wednesday evening, Araqchi and Albusaidi discussed the proposals Iran will put forward to reach an agreement, according to a statement posted on X by Oman’s foreign ministry.The biggest US military deployment in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 has raised fears of a wider regional conflict. In June last year, the US joined Israel in hitting Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has threatened to retaliate fiercely if attacked again. — AgenciesGENEVA — Oman has confirmed the start of a new round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva on Thursday morning.The talks started simultaneously with a meeting between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Foreign Ministry said on US social media company X.Busaidi stressed the importance of the “professional and technical” role of the IAEA and “the need to ensure transparency, credibility, and proper governance of the relevant procedures,” it added.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading Iran’s diplomatic delegation to the talks, which includes Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi, as well as a team of nuclear and legal experts.The American side, as in previous rounds, is led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.Tehran and Washington have held two rounds of indirect talks under Omani mediation since nuclear diplomacy resumed last month, following efforts by regional countries, including Türkiye, to ease tensions.After the previous round in Geneva – which followed the first round in Muscat – both sides offered positive assessments, agreeing on “guiding principles” that Iranian negotiators said could pave the way toward a potential agreement.The talks come amid a significant US military buildup in the region, alongside a series of recent drills conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program was a “major problem” that would have to be addressed eventually, as the missiles were “designed solely to strike America” and pose a threat to regional stability.”If you can’t even make progress on the nuclear program, it’s going to be hard to make progress on the ballistic missiles as well,” Rubio told reporters in Saint Kitts.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Press TV on Thursday that the negotiations would focus solely on nuclear topics and the lifting of sanctions, and said Tehran goes into them with “seriousness and flexibility”.US President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, underlining that while he preferred a diplomatic solution, he would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.He has deployed fighter jets, aircraft carrier strike groups as well as destroyers and cruisers in the region, hoping to pressure Iran into concessions.On Wednesday evening, Araqchi and Albusaidi discussed the proposals Iran will put forward to reach an agreement, according to a statement posted on X by Oman’s foreign ministry.The biggest US military deployment in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 has raised fears of a wider regional conflict. In June last year, the US joined Israel in hitting Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has threatened to retaliate fiercely if attacked again. — Agencies
New round of Iran-US nuclear talks kick off in Geneva
