Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghi. file. | Photo credit: AP
Iran’s foreign minister has arrived in Geneva ahead of a second round of talks with the United States, Iranian state television said on Monday (Feb 16, 2026).
According to Tehran, “indirect” Iran-US nuclear talks, brokered by Oman, will take place on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), although Washington has previously pushed to discuss other issues, including support for Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional proxies.
Tehran and Washington resumed talks this month after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June.
Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran’s stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors in June.
“The foreign minister has arrived in Geneva leading a diplomatic and expert delegation to participate in the second round of nuclear talks,” the Iranian state-run statement said. IRIB wrote on her Telegram channel.
During the visit to Geneva, Abbas Araghi will hold talks with his Swiss and Omani counterparts as well as International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grassi and other international officials, Iran’s foreign ministry said.
The White House confirmed Sunday (Feb. 15, 2026) that Washington has sent Middle East envoy Steve Wittkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The latest talks follow Trump’s repeated threats of military action against Tehran, first over Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests and then more recently over the country’s nuclear program.
The West fears the program is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies.
On Friday (Feb 13, 2026), Mr Trump said regime change in Iran was “the best thing that could happen”, as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase military pressure.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister said BBC Tehran hopes to compromise its uranium stockpile if Washington lifts sanctions that have crippled the Islamic Republic’s economy.
“Seeing sincerity in them [American] In part, I am sure we will be on the way to an agreement,” said Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that any deal must include the removal of enriched uranium from Iran and Tehran’s ability to further enrich it.
“There should be no ability to enrich… dismantle the equipment and infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,” he said during a speech in Jerusalem.
The ‘real’ deal
On February 6, Mr. Mr. Araghchi Muscat. Witkoff and Mr. Led the Iranian delegation in indirect talks with the Kushners.
Switzerland has played a key role in diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States for decades.
It has represented US interests in Iran since Washington severed ties with Tehran following the 1980 hostage crisis, a year after the Iranian revolution.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Tehran is seeking an agreement with the United States that would provide economic benefits to both countries, particularly in areas such as aviation, mining and oil and gas.
“For the agreement to be viable, it is essential that the United States also be able to benefit from it in areas where there is potential for strong and rapid economic returns,” he said.
Published – February 16, 2026 12:44 pm IST
