The third round of US-Iran talks took place in Geneva

The third round of US-Iranian negotiations ended in Geneva, writes Barak Ravid in Axios. The negotiations lasted more than three hours. The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the American delegation by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

There is no information about the results of this round yet.

Oman’s foreign minister said talks would resume later on Thursday after a break.

The current negotiations are perceived as the last opportunity to avoid a new war between Iran and the United States. The Americans have concentrated significant military power in the Iranian region, including two aircraft carrier strike groups. On February 19, President Trump said that Iran has a maximum of 15 days to make a decision – they expire on March 6-7.

Iran is ready to discuss only its nuclear program, while declaring that it will not completely abandon uranium enrichment. On the eve of the negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the position of Tehran, which refuses to discuss ballistic missiles, a “big problem”.

The United States is also seeking to stop funding Iranian regional satellites, such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Islamic Jihad. Iran categorically refuses to discuss these demands. According to the media of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian delegation handed over its draft agreement to the United States through Oman.

The failure of the current round of negotiations will significantly increase the likelihood of military confrontation. Advisors to US President Donald Trump in private discussions favor a scenario in which Israel strikes Iran before the United States, since this, in their opinion, will make it easier for Washington to explain subsequent actions to the American public, writes Politico.

The authors of the publication, Dasha Burns and Nahal Tusi, citing two interlocutors familiar with the current discussions, note that the calculation is primarily political: according to recent polls, Americans (especially Republicans) may generally support a hard line and even “regime change” in Iran, but are not willing to risk the lives of American military personnel. The material cites the wording of one of the sources: “There is an opinion … that the policy is much better if the Israelis go first and alone, and the Iranians respond by attacking us – and give us more reasons to act.”

The day before, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made statements on the Iranian threat. Rubio said Iran “poses a serious threat” to the United States and has remained so “for a very long time.” He said Tehran “is not enriching uranium right now, but is trying to get to the point where it can do so” and is also developing weapons that, as Rubio put it, “are designed to attack America,” including efforts to create intercontinental ballistic missiles. Commenting on the upcoming talks in Geneva, Rubio described them as “another opportunity to talk,” emphasizing that the nuclear program will be at the center of the agenda. He also called the position of Tehran, which refuses to discuss ballistic missiles, a “big problem.”

The Wall Street Journal, citing diplomats and experts, notes that Iran’s nuclear program has made “no significant progress” since the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, during which the US Air Force attacked three key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Earlier, the news service of the Kahn Corporation reported that in the third round of negotiations, which will take place in Geneva, Iran will agree to reduce the level of uranium enrichment from 60% to 3.6%, which is close to the level agreed in the previous nuclear agreement in 2015. At the same time, he will refuse to export uranium reserves to another country. Kan reports that this information was received from “an Arab diplomat from one of the countries in the region” who familiarized himself with the provisions of the draft document that the Iranians presented later in Geneva.