‘Good progress’ made in latest round of indirect talks with US, ‘clear path’ ahead: Iran FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that the latest round of negotiations on sanctions removal with the United States concluded with an agreement on a set of guiding principles that will shape future discussions toward a potential deal.

Speaking to an IRIB reporter in Geneva on Tuesday shortly after the talks ended, Araghchi described the discussions as “serious” and more constructive than the previous round, with various proposals presented and thoroughly examined.

“Finally, we were able to reach an agreement on a set of guiding principles based on which we will move forward and discuss the text of a potential deal,” he said.

He cautioned that reaching a final agreement will not be immediate, noting that the technical work on the text will be more detailed and complex. Nevertheless, he emphasized that “good progress” has been made and that a clearer and more positive path has now emerged.

When asked about the next round of talks, Araghchi stated that no date has been set. “The parties agreed to work on the texts of a potential agreement and exchange them before agreeing on the date of the next round of talks.”

The minister concluded that while no formal roadmap yet exists, both sides now have a clearer picture, although differences remain that will require time to bridge.

The latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States lasted approximately three hours and took place at the residence of the Omani ambassador.

Araghchi led the Iranian delegation, accompanied by his Deputy for Political Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for Economic Diplomacy, Hamid Ghanbari, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.

Technical, legal, and economic experts were also part of the Iranian negotiating team in the Tuesday round.

The talks follow the resumption of indirect nuclear negotiations on February 6 in the Omani capital, Muscat, led by Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The negotiations are taking place amid heightened regional tensions. US President Donald Trump has ordered additional military deployments to the region, including an extra aircraft carrier, thousands of troops, warplanes, and guided-missile destroyers, according to US officials.

In late January, Trump spoke of “another beautiful armada” of warships heading towards Iran and said failure to reach a deal would bring consequences “far worse” than the illegal strikes of June 2025 on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Tehran has declared that it would respond decisively to any military adventurism, as in the case of the June US attacks, which prompted a ballistic missile barrage against Al Udeid, Washington’s most important regional airbase located in Qatar