Iran has described indirect talks with the US as “more constructive” and said agreement had been reached on “general guiding principles” that could lead to a further meeting on its nuclear programme.
The talks – held in Geneva through Omani intermediaries – were to discuss the terms for Tehran constraining its nuclear programme under the supervision of the UN nuclear weapons inspectorate. They ended after three and a half hours. There was no immediate word from the US delegation.
The talks took place against a backdrop of a now-familiar slew of contradictory messages from Donald Trump, in which he said he believed Iran wanted a deal but also highlighted the US naval military buildup in the region.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, responded to the presence of US warships off the coast of Oman – across the Gulf from Iran – by saying the US could not destroy the Islamic Republic and appearing to threaten the vessels. Warships were dangerous he said, but “more dangerous than a warship is a weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea”.
Iran also announced that parts of the straits of Hormuz would be closed on Tuesday to allow the Iranian navy to carry out live-fire military exercises. A full closure of this narrow waterway, controlled by Iran, would cause chaos for commercial shipping.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said after the talks that “agreement was reached on general guiding principles” and added: “The atmosphere in this round of negotiations was more constructive. Good progress had been made in comparison with the first meeting.
“Both sides have positions that will take some time to get closer to each other. The path to an agreement has been started but that does not mean we can reach an agreement quickly.”
He added that the aim was to exchange texts on a draft agreement and then set a date for a further meeting.
The Iranians insisted throughout the talks – the first round of which were on 6 February – that it would not discuss its ballistic missile programme or its support for so-called proxy forces in the region.
Iran instead focussed its offer on a plan to dilute its 40kg stockpile of 60% highly enriched uranium, and the access that would be provided to the UN nuclear inspectorate, the IAEA, to Iran’s bombed nuclear sites.
Highly enriched uranium at 60% is near weapons grade, and is not needed for a civil nuclear programme. Discussions also continued on how long Iran might suspend enrichment, in part because the US bombing of its nuclear sites would make it impossible to do for as long as three years, but Iran has not ceded its right to enrich uranium domestically, a central US demand.
The discussions were being held against the backdrop of significant unrest in Iran including protests in Mashhad where large crowds gathered for commemorations being held on the 40th day since the killings in the city.
The Iranian side was led by Araghchi, who on Monday met the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi. The US side met Grossi on Tuesday, underlining how verification of the nuclear industry was at the centre of Tuesday’s round of talks.
Any deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear programme would require a full return of the IAEA inspectors to Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities.
Previous talks in Cairo on the Iran-IAEA protocols that would allow the IAEA full access to three main nuclear bombed sites broke down. A small number of IAEA inspectors are still working in Iran, but they have no detailed knowledge of the damage caused by US bombing or how many of centrifuges could be quickly restarted. The process of “downblending” highly enriched uranium, downgrading it from weapons grade, is an acknowledged technology.
Tehran also offered Trump sweeteners in the form of a prosperity package, and a non-aggression pact between Iran and the US – and possibly Israel.
At times, Trump has said the best outcome would be for Khamenei to stand down, but the US does not seem to have a strategy to achieve this. The US president has not committed himself to supporting Reza Pahlavi, the former shah’s son, who has many supporters and is offering himself as a transitional figure to democracy.
In Iran, an Executive Committee for the Establishment of a National Salvation Front of Iran has been formed around the three principles set out by the former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, now entering his 16th year of house arrest. The principles are: non-interference by foreign powers; rejection of internal despotism; and a democratic and peaceful transition. In a formation statement the group said it wanted to be “the connecting link” between Iranians who wanted a free, fair and impartial referendum to determine Iran’s future political system.
In an attempt to stop this movement, the security services have arrested many leading reformist politicians, alongside thousands of mainly young demonstrators. A group previously close to the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, operating under the banner of the Reform front, were arrested last week but over the weekend most were released, largely on bail. Fars news agency reported that Pezeshkian had intervened to secure their release. They now do not appear politically active.
Others were still in jail, such as Mostafa Tajzadeh, who was this week given a new 14-month sentence for propaganda against the regime. Another reformist, Ali Shakouri-Rad, has been charged with propaganda against the regime after claiming the security services may have run false-flag operations by attacking mosques. He was referencing an article written by an IRGC officer.
The judiciary on Tuesday said 10,538 protesters had been summoned for trial so far, and there are widespread reports of the prosecution trying to extract confession under physical pressure. Protesters are also routinely being denied the right to choose their own lawyer. Hundreds of people were arrested in one raid in Hamadan province.
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