New round of Iran-US nuclear talks starts in Geneva

ISTANBUL

Oman confirmed the start of a new round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva on Thursday.

The start of the talks "coincided" with a meeting between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Foreign Ministry said on the US social media company X.

Busaidi stressed the importance of the "professional and technical" role of the IAEA and "the need to ensure transparency, credibility, and proper governance of the relevant procedures," it added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading Iran’s diplomatic delegation to the talks, which includes Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi, as well as a team of nuclear and legal experts.

The American side, as in previous rounds, is led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The ministry said Busaidi also held a meeting with Witkoff and Kushner in the morning, adding that the meeting addressed Iran's perspectives and proposals.

It also addressed "the responses and inquiries of the US negotiating team related to the key elements of Iran’s nuclear program and the guarantees necessary to achieve the desired agreement on this important file, covering all its technical and regulatory aspects," the ministry stated.

During the meeting, Busaidi said efforts are continuing "diligently and in a constructive spirit, with negotiators showing unprecedented openness to new and creative solutions, while creating supportive conditions to reach a fair agreement with sustainable guarantees," it added.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Thursday that Tehran has conveyed its views and proposals to the American side through the Omani mediators.

Tehran and Washington have held two rounds of indirect talks under Omani mediation since nuclear diplomacy resumed last month, following efforts by regional countries, including Türkiye, to ease tensions.

After the previous round in Geneva -- which followed the first round in Muscat -- both sides offered positive assessments, agreeing on “guiding principles” that Iranian negotiators said could pave the way toward a potential agreement.

The talks come amid a significant US military buildup in the Persian Gulf region, alongside a series of recent drills conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).