Iran Foreign Minister in Geneva for US talks, as Guards begin drills in Hormuz Strait
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A US naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been in Gulf waters since January.
PHOTO: AFP
GENEVA – Iran’s Foreign Minister arrived in Geneva ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States, as the Revolutionary Guards began on Feb 16 military drills in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
According to Tehran, “indirect” Iran-US nuclear talks mediated by Oman will be held on Feb 17, although Washington has previously pushed for other topics to be discussed, including Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for regional proxies.
The war games in the Strait of Hormuz, the duration of which was not specified, aim to prepare the Guards for “potential security and military threats” in the strait, state TV said.
Iranian politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a strategic waterway through which about 20 per cent of global oil passes, as both sides ramp up pressure with talks continuing.
Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations in February after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Feb 15 “we’re hopeful there’s a deal”.
“The President always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things,” he said.
Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran’s stockpile of more than 400kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors in June.
“The Foreign Minister has arrived in Geneva at the head of a diplomatic and expert delegation to take part in the second round of nuclear negotiation,” Iran’s state-run IRIB wrote on its Telegram channel.
The top diplomat, Mr Abbas Araghchi, wrote on X that he was meeting in Geneva with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr Rafael Grossi, “for deep technical discussion”.
Mr Grossi later confirmed the meeting on X, calling the conversation with Mr Araghchi “in-depth” ahead of “important negotiations” on Feb 17.
Protest crackdown
Mr Araghchi is also set to hold talks with his Swiss and Omani counterparts, as well as other international officials, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Mr Araghchi added on X.
Washington has dispatched Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Mr Jared Kushner, the White House confirmed on Feb 15.
The latest talks follow repeated threats from Mr Trump of military action against Tehran, first over Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, and then more recently over the country’s nuclear programme.
The West fears the programme is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies.
On Feb 13, Mr Trump said a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen”, as he sent a second aircraft carrier
His remarks came as demonstrations outside Iran against its clerical authorities swept a number of cities
Iranians inside the country have also defied the deadly crackdown on protests in January and have continued to shout slogans against the authorities out of their windows.
‘Viable’ deal
Iran’s Foreign Ministry deputy for political affairs told the BBC that Tehran would consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if Washington lifts sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy.
“If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement,” said Mr Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Feb 15 any deal must involve the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran
On Feb 6, Mr Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect talks with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner in Muscat.
Switzerland has played a key role in Tehran-Washington diplomacy, representing US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations after the 1980 hostage crisis, a year after the Iranian revolution.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry deputy for economic diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Tehran is seeking a deal with the US that will generate economic benefits for both countries, particularly in sectors such as aviation, mining and oil and gas, the Fars news agency reported.
“For the agreement to be viable, it is essential that the United States also be able to benefit from it in areas with strong and rapid economic return potential,” he was quoted as saying. AFP
