Iran, US hold Geneva talks as deal seems within reach

IRAN vs US – (Web Desk) – The United States and Iran are set to hold indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday, aiming to reach an agreement that could prevent renewed conflict after weeks of rising tensions.

These negotiations in Geneva follow a significant U.S. military buildup in the region, alongside repeated warnings from President Donald Trump about possible action against Iran if a deal is not achieved. In his recent State of the Union address, Trump accused Iran of pursuing “sinister nuclear ambitions” and claimed the country already has missiles capable of threatening Europe and U.S. bases overseas, with plans to eventually reach the continental United States. Iran dismissed these statements as “big lies.”

According to Iranian disclosures, its missiles can reach up to 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), though the U.S. Congressional Research Service estimates the range closer to 3,000 kilometers—still far short of reaching the U.S. mainland.

The core of the dispute remains Iran’s nuclear program, which the West suspects is intended for developing an atomic bomb, while Tehran insists it is for peaceful purposes.

The U.S. is also pushing to discuss Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for armed groups opposed to Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Iran’s unwillingness to discuss its missile program is a major obstacle, though he stressed that the administration prefers a diplomatic resolution.

Iran, however, has insisted that negotiations focus solely on the nuclear issue and that U.S. economic sanctions must be part of any agreement.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Abbas Araghchi arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday evening for the third round of negotiations with the American side.

In a statement, the ministry said that the talks between the two sides will be held today (Thursday, February… pic.twitter.com/M51RlVwTdF

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed optimism, saying the talks could finally move beyond the current “neither war nor peace” situation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leading Iran’s delegation, described the discussions as a “historic opportunity” and said a deal is “within reach.”

The U.S. delegation will include envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.

The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, which is mediating the negotiations, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week.

A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.

In January, fresh tensions between the US and Iran emerged after Tehran engaged in a bloody crackdown on widespread protests that have posed one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic republic since its inception.

Trump has threatened several times to intervene to “help” the Iranian people.

Emile Hokayem, senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that “the region seems to expect a war at this point”.

In January, there was “a big push by a number of Middle Eastern states to convince the US not to” strike Iran.

“But there’s a lot of apprehension at this point, because the expectation is that this time” a war would be “bigger” than the one in June.

Tehran residents who spoke to AFP were divided as to whether there would be renewed conflict.

Homemaker Tayebeh noted that Trump had “said that war would be very bad for Iran”.

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“There would be famine and people would suffer a lot. People are suffering now, but at least with war, our fate might be clear,” the 60-year-old said.