Iran meets UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva ahead of a second round of US talks

GENEVA (AP) — Iran's apical diplomat met with the caput of the U.N. atomic watchdog bureau connected Monday, up of a 2nd circular of negotiations with the United States implicit Tehran's atomic program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said helium would besides conscionable with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks successful Geneva connected Tuesday.

“I americium successful Geneva with existent ideas to execute a just and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote connected X. “What is not connected the table: submission earlier threats.”

As U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an further craft bearer to the region, Iran connected Monday launched a 2nd naval drill successful weeks, authorities TV reported. It said the drill would trial Iran’s quality and operational capabilities successful the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Iran's drills instrumentality spot against the US subject buildup

Just earlier the talks, Iran announced its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard started the drill aboriginal Monday greeting successful the waterways that are important planetary commercialized routes done which 20% of the world’s lipid passes.

Separately, EOS Risk Group said sailors passing done the portion received by vigor a informing that the bluish lane of the Strait of Hormuz, successful Iranian territorial waters, apt would spot a live-fire drill Tuesday. Iranian authorities TV did not notation the unrecorded occurrence drill.

This is the 2nd clip successful caller weeks sailors person received informing astir an Iranian unrecorded occurrence drill. During the erstwhile exercise, announced astatine the extremity of January, the U.S. military’s Central Command issued a powerfully worded informing to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. While acknowledging Iran’s “right to run professionally successful planetary airspace and waters,” it warned against interfering oregon threatening American warships oregon passing commercialized vessels.

On Feb. 4, tensions betwixt the Iranian and U.S. navies roseate further aft a U.S. Navy combatant pitchy changeable down an Iranian drone that was approaching the craft bearer USS Abraham Lincoln successful the Arabian Sea. Iran besides harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vas that was sailing successful the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. subject reported.

Iran unfastened to compromise successful speech for sanctions relief

On Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could beryllium unfastened to compromise connected the atomic issue, but is looking for an easing of planetary sanctions led by the United States.

“The shot is successful America’s court. They person to beryllium they privation to person a woody with us,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. “If we spot a sincerity connected their part, I americium definite that we volition beryllium connected a roadworthy to person an agreement."

"We are acceptable to sermon this and different issues related to our programme provided that they are besides acceptable to speech astir the sanctions,” helium added.

Oman hosted a archetypal circular of indirect talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran connected Feb. 6.

Similar talks past twelvemonth betwixt the U.S. and Iran astir Iran’s atomic programme broke down aft Israel launched what became a 12-day warfare connected Iran, that included the U.S. bombing Iranian atomic sites.

The U.S. is besides hosting talks betwixt envoys from Russia and Ukraine successful Geneva connected Tuesday and Wednesday, days up of the 4th day of the all-out Russian penetration of its neighbor.

US keeps subject unit high

Trump initially threatened to instrumentality subject enactment implicit Iran’s bloody crackdown connected nationwide protests past month, but past shifted to a unit run successful caller weeks to effort to get Tehran to marque a woody implicit its atomic program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, reiterated connected Monday that the U.S. hopes to execute a woody with Iran, contempt the difficulties. “I’m not going to prejudge these talks,” Rubio said. “The president ever prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.”

Trump said Friday the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest craft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to articulation different subject assets the U.S. has built up successful the region. He besides said a alteration successful powerfulness successful Iran “would beryllium the champion happening that could happen.”

Iran has said if the U.S. attacks, it volition respond with an onslaught of its own.

The Trump medication has maintained that Iran tin person nary uranium enrichment nether immoderate deal. Tehran says it won’t hold to that.

Iran has insisted its atomic programme is for peaceful purposes. However, its officials progressively endanger to prosecute a atomic weapon. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, method measurement distant from weapons-grade levels.

The nonstop gathering with Grossi is simply a important measurement aft Iran suspended each practice with the IAEA pursuing the June warfare with Israel. The 2 besides met concisely connected the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly successful September. The IAEA said it has been incapable to verify the presumption of Iran’s adjacent weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war. Iran has allowed IAEA immoderate entree to sites that were not damaged, but has not allowed inspectors to sojourn different sites.

Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% could let Iran to physique arsenic galore arsenic 10 atomic bombs, should it determine to weaponize its program, Grossi antecedently told The Associated Press. He added that it doesn’t mean that Iran has specified a weapon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to Washington past week to impulse Trump to guarantee that immoderate woody to see steps to neutralize Iran’s ballistic rocket programme and extremity its backing for proxy groups specified arsenic Hamas and Hezbollah.

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Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, and Matthew Lee successful Budapest, Hungary contributed to this report.

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Additional AP sum of the atomic landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

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