Geneva, Switzerland. Oman said US and Iranian negotiators exchanged “positive and creative ideas” at indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear dispute on Thursday, though the United States raised concerns about Tehran’s ballistic missile programme. Iran said it would show flexibility as negotiations continued amid US military buildup in the Middle East and President Donald Trump’s threats of military strikes.
Oman signals pause and resumption in talks
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said negotiators took a pause after the third round of talks got under way on Thursday morning and that negotiations would resume later in the day.
“We’ve been exchanging creative and positive ideas in Geneva today, and now both US and Iranian negotiators have adjourned for a break. We’ll resume later today. We hope to make more progress,” Albusaidi posted on X.
US raises ballistic missile issue
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday Iran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile programme was a “major problem” that would have to be addressed eventually, describing the missiles as “designed solely to strike America” and a threat to regional stability.
“If you can’t even make progress on the nuclear program, it’s going to be hard to make progress on the ballistic missiles as well,” Rubio told reporters in Saint Kitts.
Iran says agenda limited to nuclear issues and sanctions
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Press TV on Thursday that the negotiations would focus solely on nuclear topics and the lifting of sanctions, and said Tehran was approaching them with “seriousness and flexibility.”
Negotiators and broader context
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been negotiating indirectly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The two countries renewed negotiations this month, seeking to break a decades-long impasse over Tehran’s nuclear program, which Washington, other Western states and Israel believe is aimed at building nuclear arms, an allegation Tehran denies.
Israel is widely assumed to have a nuclear arsenal but has not confirmed or denied it publicly.
What outcomes will you be watching for as the US-Iran talks resume in Geneva?
