Iran and the United States held what Iranian officials described as their \u201cmost serious\u201d round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, agreeing to continue discussions in Vienna next week, but developments across the region suggest Washington may still be leaning toward a military confrontation\u2014an outcome that several regional governments have warned would be devastating.<\/p>\n
Tehran – IranView24<\/strong><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters minutes after the talks concluded that the latest round had been \u201cthe most serious\u201d to date.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made good progress and seriously entered discussions on a nuclear agreement,\u201d he said in comments to IRIB. Araghchi attended the indirect talks while accompanied by his political, legal, and economic deputies, the Foreign Ministry\u2019s spokesman, and a team of nuclear experts.<\/p>\n Oman\u2019s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi\u2014who has served as mediator and gobetween\u2014said the two sides agreed to resume negotiations \u201csoon\u201d following consultations in their respective capitals. Technicallevel talks, he said, are scheduled for next week in Vienna. Writing on X, Albusaidi described the Geneva discussions as yielding \u201csignificant progress.\u201d<\/p>\n In followup remarks posted Friday, Araghchi said the third round of talks concluded with a \u201cmutual understanding\u201d to move into more detailed negotiations on issues essential to any agreement. Those issues, he said, include the termination of U.S. sanctions and the framework under which Iran would limit certain nuclear activities.<\/p>\n Iran has long laid out clear red lines, which it has maintained for years, including during negotiations in June 2025 that were abruptly derailed by a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign launched ahead of a scheduled sixth round of talks. That war ended after Iran inflicted significant damage on Israeli cities and U.S. assets in the region, while its own nuclear facilities were struck.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump later claimed the attacks had \u201cobliterated\u201d Iran\u2019s nuclear program. Yet his special envoy and lead negotiator, Steve Witkoff, said last week that Iran was \u201cprobably a week away from having industrialgrade bombmaking material.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran has also refused to negotiate over its missile program, which it notes is permitted under international law and which proved central to its defense during the 12day war. Iranian missile strikes caused heavy damage in Israeli cities and hit the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in West Asia, ultimately forcing Israel and the United States to seek a ceasefire.<\/p>\n While Iranian missiles cannot reach U.S. territory, Israeli officials have pushed for limits that would reduce their range to 300 kilometers\u2014restrictions that would allow Israel to strike Iran with impunity, as it routinely does in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. Israel has also carried out attacks in Qatar in 2025, Iraq in 2024, and repeatedly in Yemen over the past two years.<\/p>\n Despite the positive tone struck by Iranian and Omani officials, Washington has shown little public enthusiasm for a diplomatic settlement. In the only official U.S. remarks since the Geneva talks concluded, Vice President JD Vance sought to downplay Iranian warnings that any new attack would trigger a regional war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that we\u2019re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight\u2014there is no chance that will happen,\u201d Vance told The Washington Post, after he declared that Trump is still weighing military strikes against Iran.<\/p>\n The renewed negotiations followed extensive diplomatic efforts by at least seven regional countries, which, according to reports, warned Washington that a new war with Iran would have catastrophic consequences not only for the region but for the global economy. Iranian officials have said Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz\u2014through which more than 20 percent of the world\u2019s energy supply passes\u2014and strike the strategic assets of any country that allows U.S. forces to use its airspace for an attack.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s regional allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansarullah in Yemen, and Resistance groups in Iraq, have also said they would not remain on the sidelines in the event of renewed U.S. aggression.<\/p>\n Analysts say it is highly unlikely that limited U.S. strikes could force Iran into major concessions or topple the Islamic Republic, and that even a prolonged campaign offers no guarantee of success. Such a war, they warn, could prove politically disastrous for Trump at home. Iranian military exercises earlier this month demonstrated the country\u2019s ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz\u2014an outcome analysts say could push oil prices above $130 a barrel.<\/p>\n Iran has also warned that, unlike in its previous responses, it would not seek to avoid American casualties in a future conflict. Between 40,000 and 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed within range of Iranian missiles and drones across West Asia.<\/p>\n Recent developments have heightened concerns among analysts that Washington may already be preparing for war. Those include reports of U.S. embassy evacuations in Iraq and the occupied territories, along with the arrival of additional fighter jets and refueling aircraft at Israeli bases. Iranian officials have said that Israel would be pounded again in any new conflict.<\/p>\n Source: Tehran Times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Iran and the United States held what Iranian officials described as their \u201cmost serious\u201d round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, agreeing to continue discussions in Vienna next week, but developments across the region suggest Washington may still be leaning toward a military confrontation\u2014an outcome that several regional governments have warned would be devastating. 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