Geneva, Switzerland. The United States and Iran are holding indirect talks in Geneva on Tuesday to address their long-running nuclear dispute, with little clear indication of compromise as Washington masses forces in the region.
Negotiations mediated by Oman
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to take part in the negotiations, which are being mediated by Oman, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is also participating.
U.S. military preparations and Iranian drills
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that the U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of weeks of operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack.
Iran began a military drill on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway and oil export route from Gulf Arab states, who have been appealing for diplomacy to end the dispute.
Background of renewed talks
Tehran and Washington renewed negotiations on February 6 on their decades-long dispute.
Washington and its close ally Israel believe Iran aspires to build a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel’s existence. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, even though it has enriched uranium far beyond the purity needed for power generation and close to what is required for a bomb.
Previous conflict and domestic pressures
Tehran has cited a previous effort to revive talks that was under way in June last year when Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran and was then joined by U.S. bombers that struck nuclear targets. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.
Iran’s Islamic rulers have since been weakened by widespread street protests, which were put down at a cost of thousands of lives, amid a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled Iran’s oil income.
Regional buildup
Unlike the previous period of talks, the U.S. has now placed what Trump calls a massive naval armada in the region.
What outcome do you expect from the Geneva talks given the military preparations on both sides?
