In advance of the negotiations that will take place in Geneva next Tuesday, diplomats from the Persian country warned that they can approach an understanding with Washington if it is "sincere" and willing. In addition, they hinted at possible agreements in "common interests" such as mining, gas and the acquisition of aircraft. For their part, the North American negotiators were cautious, but emphasized their commitment to diplomatic channels.

First modification: 02/16/2026 - 00:18Last modification: 02/16/2026 - 01:55

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Heading into a new day of talks with the United States, which will take place on Tuesday in Geneva, Iranian negotiators were open to the idea of ​​reaching an agreement with Washington, a possibility about which the Americans were more skeptical.

Before leaving for Switzerland, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, spoke to the BBC and asserted that "if the United States is sincere" an agreement can be reached. "We must focus on the nuclear issue," he said, reiterating Iran's position that the talks should not go beyond its nuclear program.

The official dismissed the possibility of zero uranium enrichment in the country - described as a "red line" for Tehran - and considered the ballistic missile program non-negotiable. Even so, he stressed that Tehran is willing to review nuclear commitments if Washington does the same by lifting sanctions.

For his part, the deputy director of economic diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamid Ghanbari, highlighted that the negotiations will include "common interests in oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments and aircraft purchases," the Fars news agency reported.

Looking ahead to the negotiations, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Minister Abbas Araqchi will be among the delegation that left this Sunday for Geneva. In addition to the meeting with the US, Araqchi will also meet with the head of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog.

From the White House, the predisposition to negotiate exists, according to what President Donald Trump was able to say, who - despite military threats - repeatedly assured that they want to give diplomacy the opportunity to reach an understanding with Iran.

The negotiations were reopened on February 6 with the mediation of Oman, the first meeting after the 12-day war in which Israel and the United States bombed the Arab country.

United States, waiting

At a press conference during his visit to Bratislava, US Secretary Marco Rubio reiterated Trump's desire to explore possibilities in the diplomatic field to reach a negotiated agreement, although he did not deny the difficulty of that mission.

"No one has been able to make a successful agreement with Iran, but we are going to try," said the top US diplomat from Slovak territory.

Without giving too many details, Rubio reported that those sent to negotiate will be Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. "We'll see how it turns out," he added.

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However, the military threat of the Trump Administration hovers over the negotiations. Last Friday, the US president announced the transfer of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join other military assets that the United States has accumulated in the region. He also assured that a regime change in Iran "would be the best that could happen."

Israel maintains its pressure

Without a seat at the table but with an influential voice in the matter, Israel once again set its stance on how it wants negotiations to conclude: with Tehran without nuclear traces and limits on the range of its ballistic missiles.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that one of the intentions of the Jewish State is for the Persian country to limit the range of its ballistic missiles to 300 kilometers.

The Israeli leader also assured that the agreement should require that all enriched uranium leave the country, that its infrastructure to create it be dismantled, and that Iran stop financing armed groups that rival Israel, such as Hamas or Hezbollah.

"These are the elements that we consider important. I presented our position very clearly," Netanyahu added, referring to his meeting with Trump last week.

With EFE and Reuters

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