ISLAMABAD: Iran’s top diplomat met the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Geneva, in advance of a planned second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
The Geneva meeting, held with the IAEA’s Rafael Grossi, underscores Tehran’s attempt to re-engage international scrutiny of its nuclear programme as Washington and Tehran seek a path toward diplomatic de-escalation, according to Hürriyet Daily News.
In Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Grossi discussed technical cooperation and next steps for managing Iran’s nuclear programme, which has been a point of contention between Tehran and Western powers.
Araghchi also plans to confer with Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr al-Busaidi, as Muscat acts as host and mediator for the broader United States-Iran talks.
Araghchi took to social media to express Tehran’s intention of pursuing a “fair and equitable deal”, but made it clear that Iran would not submit to external threats.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, in interviews before the Geneva meeting, indicated Tehran’s openness to compromise on nuclear issues in case the USt is willing to address sanctions relief, a key Iranian demand.
The upcoming round of talks between U.S. and Iranian officials follows earlier indirect negotiations mediated by Oman, as both nations attempt to bridge long-standing differences over Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities and broader nuclear ambitions.
The indirect nature of the discussions reflects continued mistrust, but the resumed engagement signals a mutual interest in avoiding further escalation, according to AP.
The threats and counter-threats between the US and Iran, parallel to their indirect negotiations, have rattled global markets, especially the oil market, which has significantly soared following the war overtures from both sides. Most of the Gulf’s equity markets tumbled yesterday over the Iran-US tensions.
