Iran will present detailed nuclear proposals within two weeks to try to close gaps, says US official
\n geneva
\nIran and the United States reached an understanding on Tuesday on the main \u201cguiding principles\u201d in talks aimed at resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute, but that does not mean a deal is imminent, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said.
\nOil futures fell and the benchmark Brent crude contract dropped more than 1% after Araghchi,\u2019s comments, easing fears of conflict in the region, where the US has deployed a battle force to press Tehran for concessions.
\n\u201cDifferent ideas have been presented, these ideas have been seriously discussed. Ultimately we\u2019ve been able to reach a general agreement on some guiding principles,\u201d Araghchi, told Iranian media after the talks concluded in Geneva.
\nThe indirect discussions between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner, alongside Araghchi, were mediated by Oman. Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on X that \u201cmuch work is yet to be done\u201d, but Iran and the US were leaving with \u201cclear next steps\u201d.
\nJust as talks began, Iranian state media said Iran would temporarily shut part of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil supply route, due to \u201csecurity precautions\u201d while Iran\u2019s elite Revolutionary Guards conducted military drills. Tehran has in the past threatened to shut the strait to commercial shipping if attacked, which could choke a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude prices.
\n\u201cUS must drop threat to using force,\u201d says Iran
\nEarlier. Araghchi said that US should immediately desist from threatening to use force against Iran.
\nSpeaking at a disarmament conference in Geneva after the talks, Araghchi, said a \u201cnew window of opportunity\u201d had opened and he hoped discussions would lead to a \u201csustainable\u201d solution ensuring full recognition of Iran\u2019s legitimate rights.
\nTrump said he would be involved \u201cindirectly\u201d in the Geneva talks and believed Tehran wanted to make a deal. \u201cI don\u2019t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,\u201d Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. \u201cWe could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s.\u201d
\nThe US joined Israel last June in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. The US and Israel believe Iran aspires to build a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel\u2019s existence. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, even though it has enriched uranium far beyond the purity needed for power generation and close to what is required for a bomb.
\nResponding to Trump\u2019s comments that \u201cregime change\u201d in Iran might be best, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US attempts to depose his government would fail. \u201cThe US president says their army is the world\u2019s strongest, but the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up,\u201d he said.
\nIran to shut parts of Strait of Hormuz
\nIn an earlier development, Iran said that it will partially shut down parts of Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil supply route, state media said, as it held talks over its disputed nuclear programme with the US, which has sent a battle force to the Gulf to press Tehran to make concessions.
\nIran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran\u2019s views on the nuclear issue, the lifting of sanctions, and a framework for any understanding had been conveyed to the US side.
\nIran says it will only discuss nuclear programme
\nSince those strikes, Iran\u2019s Islamic rulers have been weakened by street protests, suppressed at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions. Washington has sought to expand talks to non-nuclear issues, such as Iran\u2019s missile stockpile.
\nTehran says it is willing only to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief and will not give up uranium enrichment completely or discuss its missile programme. Khamenei reiterated that Iran\u2019s missile stockpile is non-negotiable and its type and range have nothing to do with the US.
\nA senior Iranian official told Reuters the success of the Geneva talks hinged on the US avoiding unrealistic demands and showing seriousness on lifting crippling sanctions.
\nTwo weeks to close gaps
\nIran said it would make detailed proposals in the next two weeks to close gaps in nuclear talks with the US, according to a US official on Tuesday.
\n \u201cProgress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss,\u201d the official, who declined to be identified, said regarding discussions in Geneva. \u201cThe Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions.\u201d
\nTehran and Washington were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks in June last year when Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, later joined by US B-2 bombers striking nuclear targets. Tehran has since halted uranium enrichment activity.
\nIran has joined the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for forgoing atomic weapons and cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
\nIsrael, which has not signed the NPT, neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons, under a decades-old ambiguity policy designed to deter surrounding enemies. Scholars believe it does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran will present detailed nuclear proposals within two weeks to try to close gaps, says US official geneva Iran and the United States reached an understanding on Tuesday on the main \u201cguiding principles\u201d in talks aimed at resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute, but that does not mean a deal is imminent, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-531975","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n