Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stepped out of Geneva’s negotiating rooms on Tuesday with an unusually positive assessment: both Iran and the United States had agreed on guiding principles for nuclear talks, and the mood in the room had been genuinely constructive. It was, by the standards of Iran-US diplomacy, a notable development.
The second round of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, built on the groundwork laid in the opening session on February 6. Araghchi said the two delegations would now exchange draft texts in advance of a third meeting expected within the next fortnight, signaling that the process was moving from broad principles toward practical specifics.
The key issues on the table involved Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, particularly its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium — a material that has no civilian use at that purity level and that Iran has offered to dilute as part of a confidence-building package. Also under discussion were the terms for restoring full IAEA inspector access to Iranian nuclear facilities, some of which were severely damaged in recent US strikes.
The unresolved core dispute remained the question of domestic enrichment rights. Iran has asserted this as a non-negotiable sovereign entitlement, while the US has demanded a complete halt to enrichment on Iranian soil. Additionally, Iran has firmly excluded its ballistic missile programme and regional proxy relationships from the scope of any negotiations.
As diplomats talked in Geneva, the situation in Iran remained volatile. Supreme Leader Khamenei warned US naval forces in the region of Iran’s military capabilities, while at home the government faced the politically explosive fallout of widespread protests. More than 10,000 people had been summoned for trial in connection with demonstrations, even as senior clerics acknowledged that some innocent bystanders had been killed.