Iran shows flexibility in US nuclear talks amid military pressure in Geneva negotiations
\n washington
\nUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Wednesday that Iran must negotiate on its missile programme, a day after President Donald Trump alleged Tehran was working on rockets capable of reaching the United States.
\n\u201cI would say that the Iranian insistence on not discussing ballistic missiles is a big, big problem,\u201d Rubio told reporters on the eve of new talks between the United States and Iran.
\nRubio declined to describe whether the talks in Geneva would be decisive in determining if the United States would attack Iran. \u201cThe president wants diplomatic solutions. He greatly prefers them,\u201d Rubio said during a visit to Saint Kitts and Nevis.
\nRegarding the talks, he added, \u201cHopefully they\u2019re productive, but eventually we\u2019ll have to have conversations about more than just a nuclear programme.\u201d
\nOn the possibility of a strike on Iran, Rubio said: \u201cThe president has made no decision on that, so I don\u2019t know if Thursday is the key date for that. I think progress needs to be made.\u201d
\nMeanwhile, Iran has pledged to show flexibility at indirect talks with the United States on their longstanding nuclear dispute, with Tehran under pressure to agree to a deal or face US military strikes.
\nThe third round of talks in Geneva, which began on Thursday morning, will discuss Iran\u2019s nuclear program against the backdrop of a major US military buildup in the Middle East ordered by US President Donald Trump.
\nIranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Press TV that the negotiations would focus solely on nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions, adding that Tehran was entering the talks with \u201cseriousness and flexibility.\u201d
\nImpasse on nuclear programme
\nThe two countries renewed negotiations this month, seeking to break a decades-long impasse over Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme, which Washington, other Western states and Israel believe is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this.
\nUS Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner were due to attend the indirect talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a US official said. The meeting follows discussions in Geneva last week and will again be mediated by Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
\nTrump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, underlining that while he preferred a diplomatic solution, he would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
\nHe has deployed fighter jets, aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as destroyers and cruisers in the region in an effort to pressure Iran into concessions.
\nOn Wednesday evening, Araghchi and Albusaidi discussed the proposals Iran will put forward to reach an agreement, according to a statement posted on X by Oman\u2019s foreign ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran shows flexibility in US nuclear talks amid military pressure in Geneva negotiations washington US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Wednesday that Iran must negotiate on its missile programme, a day after President Donald Trump alleged Tehran was working on rockets capable of reaching the United States. \u201cI would say that the Iranian insistence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-533714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n