Iran Says Deal in Sight as US Talks Near

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that a nuclear deal was “within reach”, ahead of talks with the United States scheduled for later this week.

“We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests,” Araghchi stated this in a post on the social media platform X.

“A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority,” he continued.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with an Iranian group for the negotiations, which are scheduled to begin Thursday in Geneva, a senior US official announced on Monday.

As the US increases its military power in the Middle East, the two nations began talks earlier this month. Iran has warned that if it is attacked, it will attack US sites in the area.

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, stated on Tuesday that Iran is prepared to take any action required to strike an agreement with the United States.

“We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith,” Takht-Ravanchi stated in remarks reported by official media.

US President Donald Trump always prioritizes diplomacy, but he is prepared to employ military force if necessary, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday.

Tehran would seriously consider sending half of its most highly enriched uranium overseas, diluting the remainder, and participating in the formation of a regional enrichment consortium, according to a senior Iranian official who spoke to Reuters on Sunday. This idea has been brought up on occasion during years of Iran-related diplomacy.

According to the official, Iran would do this in exchange for the United States acknowledging its right to “peaceful nuclear enrichment” as part of an agreement that would also eliminate economic sanctions.

“If there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we will respond according to our defence plans … A US attack on Iran is a real gamble,” added Takht-Ravanchi.

The US demand that Iran abandon uranium enrichment on its own, which Washington sees as a path to a nuclear bomb, was the main reason why indirect talks between the two sides last year failed to produce an agreement.

Iran has consistently denied looking for such weapons.

Last June, the US and Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, with Trump claiming that the country’s main nuclear facilities were “obliterated.”