Iran is ready to take any necessary steps to reach a nuclear deal with the United States, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday, ahead of fresh talks in Geneva later this week. “We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room with complete honesty and good faith,” he added, warning that Iran would respond strongly to any aggression.
The talks are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to meet the Iranian delegation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump prefers diplomacy but is ready to use force if necessary.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran may send part of its highly enriched uranium abroad, dilute the rest, and join a regional enrichment consortium in exchange for US recognition of its right to peaceful nuclear enrichment and the lifting of economic sanctions.
Indirect talks last year failed mainly over the US demand that Iran stop uranium enrichment, which Iran has always denied is intended for nuclear weapons. The US, along with Israel, struck Iranian nuclear sites last June, with Trump claiming key facilities were “obliterated.” The upcoming Geneva talks are seen as crucial in determining whether tensions in the Middle East will ease or escalate