Second US-Iran nuclear talks set for Geneva

2026-02-14 - 05:56

Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran/ Geneva The United States and Iran will hold a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva on February 17, as President Donald Trump insists any deal must require zero uranium enrichment. A source told Reuters on Saturday that US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will lead the American delegation, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to head Tehran’s team. Oman will mediate, with Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi attending. The Geneva meeting will build on indirect talks in Muscat on February 6, which both sides described as a constructive start despite differences. Tehran maintains that negotiations must focus solely on the nuclear program and rejects limits on its missile capabilities, while the Trump administration is pressing for broader concessions, including halting enrichment and ending support for regional allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis (Ansarallah), and armed groups in Iraq. Meanwhile, Trump announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, reinforcing American presence, after his February 11 meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US President reaffirmed his preference for a negotiated outcome but signaled talks could last up to a month. “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough,” Trump earlier told Axios. Read more: US-Iran Muscat talks: A diplomatic opening shadowed by red line