Iran and US hold nuclear talks in Geneva
Senior US officials are set to travel to Geneva this week for negotiations with Iranian representatives over Tehran’s nuclear programme, the White House confirmed on February 16th, according to The New Arab via AFP.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner will represent Washington in the talks, a US official said. The two figures have led the administration’s diplomatic engagement with Iran in recent months.
Iran will be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whose ministry said he will also meet separately with counterparts from Switzerland and Oman, as well as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the sidelines of the Geneva discussions.
The meetings follow the resumption of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Muscat on February 6. Those talks restarted after earlier diplomatic efforts collapsed last year amid a brief but intense regional conflict between Iran and Israel.
The confrontation began when Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iranian targets in June 2025, triggering a 12-day escalation during which the United States also carried out attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The conflict halted ongoing diplomatic contacts at the time.
Iranian officials have said the Geneva discussions will again be conducted indirectly, similar to the Muscat format, with intermediaries relaying messages between the two sides.
The renewed diplomacy comes amid heightened tensions between the countries. Washington has warned of possible military action over Iran’s nuclear activities and recently deployed additional naval forces, including an aircraft carrier group, to the region.
Furthermore, in January, the European Union announced that it had added Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list, placing the organisation on the same level as jihadist groups, such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
US-Iran relations have also been strained by Tehran’s crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year, which prompted criticism from Washington and further complicated diplomatic engagement.
After the Iran meetings conclude, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to remain in Geneva to participate in separate US-mediated talks related to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, officials said.
The upcoming negotiations are seen as an attempt to stabilise dialogue on Iran’s nuclear programme following months of confrontation and stalled diplomacy.
The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
