Iran’s foreign minister says US agrees with ‘guiding principles’ for deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghi said on Tuesday (Feb 17, 2026) that fresh talks with the United States had agreed on a “set of guiding principles” that would pave the way for a deal.

“Ultimately, we were able to reach a broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and start working on the text of a potential agreement,” said Mr. Araghchi told state TV.

“Compared to the previous round, absolutely serious discussions have been raised and I can say that the atmosphere is more constructive,” he added.

Tehran and Washington held a second round of talks on Tuesday (Feb 17) – which began earlier this month – after talks collapsed following Israel’s attack on Iran in June last year, leading to a 12-day war.

In that war the United States briefly sided with Israel in attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The latest talks come after Washington deployed an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, initially fueled by economic woes, following Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last month.

In an interview with State TV, Mr. Araghchi said the two sides had begun the process of reaching an agreement, but noted that “it doesn’t mean we can reach an agreement quickly.” “We hope that this process will be completed as soon as possible and we are ready to devote enough time to it,” he said.

He acknowledged that “it will take time” to bridge the gap between the two sides’ positions, “but at least now we have a set of guiding principles and a clear way forward”.