Iran said on Monday that the US’s position on Iran’s nuclear programme “has moved towards a more realistic one”, a day ahead of a second round of US-Iranian talks in Geneva. Tehran’s foreign minister arrived in Geneva for the new round of indirect negotiations with the US, as the Revolutionary Guards began military drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and gas.
According to Tehran, talks mediated by Oman will be held on Tuesday in Switzerland. Washington has previously pushed for other topics to be discussed. The war games being conducted by the Guards, the ideological arm of military, aim to prepare it for “potential security and military threats” in the strait, Iranian state TV said.
Iranian politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a strategic waterway through which about 20 percent of global oil passes, as both sides ramp up pressure with talks set to resume. US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday “we’re hopeful there’s a deal”. “The president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, wrote on X that he was meeting in Geneva with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, “for deep technical discussion”. Grossi later confirmed the meeting on X, calling the conversation with Araghchi “in-depth” ahead of Tuesday’s “important talks”. AFP
