US and Iran hold successful diplomatic talks with reported progress

US-Iran Talks Continue in Vienna Amid Uncertainty

Indirect talks between Iranian and United States officials concluded in Geneva on Thursday, with a mediator claiming “significant progress” but no clear indication of whether either side is willing to make concessions to avoid war. The talks will resume next week in Vienna.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the most recent discussions were the most serious and longest, while Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who mediated the talks, said Iranian and US diplomats would consult with their governments before the Vienna talks. Few details have emerged about the discussions, but Araghchi reportedly met with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Iranian team handed over written proposals to Al Busaidi on Wednesday night, which he then presented to the US delegation led by Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Omani diplomat also mediated between the two teams throughout the day, while Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), participated in the talks.

The IAEA will undertake nuclear monitoring and verification duties in Iran if an agreement is reached. The UN watchdog’s board meetings are scheduled to begin on March 6, which falls within a 10- to 15-day deadline floated by US President Donald Trump last week for Iran to reach a deal.

Key issues between the two sides include uranium enrichment and missiles. Washington has emphasized that it will not accept any nuclear enrichment taking place on Iranian soil, even at civilian-use levels agreed upon in the 2015 nuclear deal. The US has also focused on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, citing threats to US military bases across the Middle East and Israel.

Iranian officials have repeatedly stated they will never develop nuclear weapons, while President Masoud Pezeshkian has criticized Trump’s assertion that Iran is “the world’s number one sponsor of terror”.

Source: Al Jazeera