US, Iran conclude new round of talks without deal as risk of war rises

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, declared that there was “significant progress in the negotiation”without giving more details.

But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uraniumrejected proposals to transfer him abroad and sought the lifting of international sanctions, indicating that he was not prepared to meet the demands of US President Donald Trump.

Trump wants a deal that limits Iran’s nuclear programand sees an opportunity as the country faces internal difficulties with growing discontent following national protests. Iran also hopes to avoid war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or its support for armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Al-Busaidi He indicated that talks will be held at a technical level next week in Vienna, headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The United Nations nuclear watchdog would likely be crucial in any deal.

In an interview with Iranian state television, Iran’s Foreign Minister noted that talks with the United States They were some of the “most intense and longest rounds of negotiations” of the country. Abbas Araghchi did not offer details, but said “what needs to happen has been clearly laid out on our part.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The risk could hardly be higher. If there is an attack by the United States, Iran has said that all Washington military bases in the Middle East would be considered legitimate targetsputting tens of thousands of American military personnel at risk. Tehran has also threatened to attack Israel, meaning a regional war could break out again across the Middle East.

“There would be no victory for anyone. It would be a devastating war”said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an interview with India Today recorded on Wednesday, just before flying to Geneva.

“As US bases are scattered throughout the region, unfortunately perhaps the entire region could be involved and affected, which is a very terrible scenario.”

Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group, said it was a good sign that the Americans did not withdraw immediately when Iran presented its latest proposal on Thursday.

“There may still be no breakthrough at the end of this day, but the mere fact that the US team is returning “It shows that there is enough common ground between the two sides,” said.

Both sides held multiple rounds of talks last year that collapsed when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June and the United States. carried out strong attacks against its nuclear sitesleaving much of Iran’s nuclear program in ruins, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

Araghchi represented Iran in the talks. Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer friend of Trump who serves as special envoy for the Middle East, led the US delegation along with Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law. This last dialogue was once again mediated by Oman, an Arab country in the Persian Gulf that has long acted as an interlocutor between Iran and the West.

Both sides adjourned the session after about three hours of talks and resumed discussions later.

During the break, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said diplomats held “very intensive” negotiations. He noted that the Iranians considered that there were “constructive proposals.” offered on both nuclear issues and sanctions relief.

Trump wants Iran to completely stop uranium enrichment and to reverse both its long-range missile program and its support for regional armed groups. Iran says it will only discuss nuclear issues, and maintains that its atomic program is for entirely peaceful purposes.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that Iran “he is always trying to reconstruct elements” of its nuclear program. He assured that Tehran does not enrich uranium “but they are trying to get to the point where, ultimately, they can do so.”

Iran maintains it has not enriched uranium since Junebut has prevented inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from visiting the sites that the United States bombed. Satellite photographs analyzed by The Associated Press also showed activity at two of those sites, suggesting the Islamic Republic is trying to assess and possibly recover material there.

The West and the IAEA say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. After Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran increased its uranium enrichment to a purity of 60%, within a short technical step of 90% weapons grade levels.

US intelligence agencies believe that Tehran has not yet restarted a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that put it in a better position to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” Some Iranian officials have spoken openly about the country’s willingness to produce a bomb if that decision is made.

If talks fail, uncertainty looms about the moment when a possible attack by the United States would occur.

If the objective of possible military action is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it is unclear whether limited strikes would work. If the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, the United States will likely have to commit to a larger, longer military campaign. There have been no public signs that planning is underway for what would happen next, including the possibility of chaos breaking out in Iran.

Also There is uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the region as a whole.. Tehran could retaliate against the White House’s allies in the Persian Gulf or against Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part because of those fears, and Brent crude, the benchmark, is now around $70 a barrel. In the latest round of talks, Iran said it briefly halted shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all the world’s traded oil passes.

Satellite images taken Tuesday and Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the AP appeared to show that U.S. ships that normally dock in Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, They were all in the sea. The Fifth Fleet referred questions to the US military’s Central Command, which declined to comment. Before Iran’s attack on a US base in Qatar during the final days of the war last June, the Fifth Fleet also dispersed its ships at sea to protect itself from a possible attack.