Syed Zafar Mehdi
23 February 2026•Update: 23 February 2026
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran on Monday denied reports about a “temporary agreement” with the US, saying it is currently drafting positions to reach a nuclear deal with Washington.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference in Tehran that the timing and mechanism of submitting the draft to the US side will be discussed and coordinated with the Omani mediator.
Iran and the US are set to reconvene in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday to resume discussions for a potential nuclear deal, amid rising regional tensions and speculations of an imminent war.
Baghaei dismissed media reports about a “temporary agreement” between Tehran and Washington, saying the details of any negotiation process are “discussed and exchanged within the negotiating room.”
He said one of the signs of the seriousness of any negotiation is that all parties make “genuine and good-faith efforts” to reach a result, adding that drafting any document requires cooperation, participation, and assistance from all negotiating parties.
Iran will accept an agreement that ensures its “national rights and interests,” the spokesman said, adding that “no deviation toward militarization” has been observed in the country’s nuclear program over the past two decades.
He said Iran’s nuclear program has always been under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.
The fact that Iran is not seeking or moving toward nuclear weapons is “entirely verifiable,” he added.
The new round of talks in Geneva comes amid an unprecedented US military buildup in the Persian Gulf and a series of military drills by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in recent days.
US President Donald Trump has warned of military action against Iran if a deal is not reached within 10 to 15 days.
‘Win-win agreement’
Baghaei said Iran has “no interest in prolonging” the process of negotiations.
“Our goal is to achieve a result, because the Iranian people are under pressure and facing difficulties caused by the unjust sanctions imposed on the country. Reason, logic, and ethics demand that these sanctions be lifted as quickly as possible,” he said.
On the characteristics of a “win-win agreement,” he said a deal that restores the “rights of Iranians” that have been “infringed over” due to sanctions is a key Iranian demand.
The spokesman said that Iranian nuclear rights must be recognized and respected, adding that they have been acknowledged as part of the country’s obligations and rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Regarding the US threats, Baghaei said threatening the use of force constitutes a “violation of the most fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter.”
“Any military attack against Iran, regardless of its scope, constitutes aggression and will naturally have consequences. Two main components of a potential agreement concern the lifting of US sanctions and Iran’s assurances regarding its nuclear program,” he said.
Nuclear diplomacy was revived last month following interventions by some regional countries, particularly Turkiye, after an over eight-month suspension.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had described the previous round of talks in Geneva as “serious,” with a “constructive” dialogue atmosphere.
He said the parties reached a general agreement on a set of “guiding principles” to serve as a basis for beginning work on the text of a potential agreement.
However, tensions between the two sides have continued to rise with reports suggesting that the US military has made preparations for a strike against Iran.
