Iran FM says agreement on 'guiding principles' reached in talks with US

WASHINGTON — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran and Washington reached an agreement on a set of “guiding principles” during indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, describing the discussions as more constructive than a previous round but cautioning that a final deal remains distant.

Speaking to reporters after the talks, Araghchi said no date had been set for the next round, adding that both sides would now work on draft texts and exchange them before deciding on next steps. While significant differences remain, he said negotiators now have a “clearer path” forward.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the talks, which lasted more than three hours. 

The United States and Iran had convened this second round of discussions on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to avert another conflict. The two sides held an initial round of talks in Oman on Feb. 6.

The talks were held against the backdrop of continued threats from President Donald Trump, who has amassed US military forces in the region and recently described regime change as “the best thing that could happen” in Iran. 

“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late on Monday. “They want to make a deal.”

The talks in Geneva were again hosted by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who shuttled between the sides at the Omani consulate. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, led the US side, while Araghchi represented Iran. 

In a statement posted to X, al-Busaidi said there was progress made toward “identifying common goals and relevant technical issues.”

“Together we made serious efforts to define a number of guiding principles for a final deal,” the top Omani diplomat said. “Much work is yet to be done, and the parties left with clear next steps before the next meeting.”

The Trump administration is seeking an agreement that addresses Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for regional militias in addition to its nuclear program. Iran had demanded the talks be limited to its nuclear program, which it insists is only for peaceful purposes. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran has suggested transferring some of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country, such as Russia. The Iranians have also indicated they might offer to pause uranium enrichment for up to three years, the outlet reported. 

It’s unclear whether such concessions would be enough for Trump, who said on Friday, “We don’t want any enrichment.” In 2018, Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord brokered under President Barack Obama, arguing it was a flawed deal because it permitted enrichment at low levels and failed to address Iran’s regional conduct and missile program. 

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC on Sunday that the issue of zero enrichment “is not on the table anymore,” but that Iran would consider other nuclear compromises in return for sanctions relief.

Takht-Ravanchi said the offer by Iranian atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslam on Feb. 9 to dilute uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels demonstrated his country’s willingness to compromise. Asked about removing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, Takht-Ravanchi said that it was "too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations.”

As the talks got underway on Tuesday, Iranian state media outlets announced that Tehran had fired live missiles toward the Strait of Hormuz and was closing parts of the waterway for several hours for “safety and maritime concerns.”

Last year, Washington and Tehran held several rounds of similar talks aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Those negotiations collapsed after Israel launched its 12-day war on Iran in June, during which the United States struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Regional countries have urged the two sides to reach a diplomatic settlement, fearful that tit-for-tat strikes could entangle US allies hosting American troops. Iran responded to the strikes on its nuclear sites with a ballistic missile attack in June that targeted US troops stationed at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Of the 14 missiles, 13 were intercepted and no US personnel were injured or killed. 

Iranian officials have vowed to hit back harder should Trump order another round of strikes. In a speech on Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to Trump’s decision to send a second aircraft carrier to the region.

“An aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous piece of equipment,” Khamenei said. “But more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.”

This developing story has been updated since initial publication.