Iran announced that it and the United States have arrived at a preliminary understanding on a set of core guiding principles intended to move forward efforts to settle the longstanding disagreement over Iran’s nuclear activities.
The development followed indirect negotiations held in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that while progress had been made, additional work is still required. Officials in Washington also confirmed that the discussions yielded advances.
Oman, which is facilitating the dialogue between the two sides, said the talks concluded with meaningful headway in clarifying common objectives and technical matters. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi characterised the discussions as constructive.
The negotiations took place against a backdrop of rising strain, including repeated warnings from the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and criticism of Tehran’s handling of domestic protests. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he believed Iran was interested in reaching an agreement.
For years, the United States and several European partners have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied. Iranian officials have stated that the discussions are centered on nuclear-related issues and the potential easing of US economic sanctions.
US representatives, however, have signaled interest in expanding the scope of talks to include other concerns, such as Iran’s missile programme.
According to a US official, negotiations will continue, with Iran expected to submit more detailed proposals in the coming weeks to help close remaining differences. US Vice President JD Vance said that certain American red lines had not yet been resolved.
Speaking previously, Trump said Iran was seeking to avoid the consequences of failing to reach an agreement, referencing earlier US military actions targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran has pushed back against pressure tactics, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning that efforts to dictate the outcome of negotiations in advance would be inappropriate.
This latest meeting followed earlier indirect talks hosted in Oman, which both Tehran and Washington had described at the time as a positive initial step.
