Tehran, Iran (ANTARA) - A senior Iranian official said on Thursday\nthat a deal with the United States is \u201cvery likely\u201d to be reached in the\nnear future.<\/p>\n
The main condition is that both sides agree that the core of the\ncurrent Geneva negotiations is Iran\u2019s commitment not to develop nuclear\nweapons.<\/p>\n
Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, affirmed\nvia his X account that this non-nuclear weapons stance is in line with\nthe \u201cfatwa\u201d (religious edict) of Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
Shamkhani, who is the head of the newly formed Defence Council, said\nthat Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian\ndelegation in the Geneva talks, has \u201cfull support and authority to reach\na deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The status of Iran\u2019s nuclear program is currently unclear following\nthe June 2025 attack on three major nuclear facilities, which was\nclaimed by US President Donald Trump to have \u201cdestroyed\u201d the country\u2019s\nnuclear infrastructure.<\/p>\n
However, in recent days, Trump has raised the possibility of\ntargeting Iran\u2019s nuclear program, saying that Tehran is not saying that\nit does not want nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
US special envoy Steve Witkoff also claimed in a recent television\ninterview that Iran is \u201cjust weeks away\u201d from building a nuclear\nweapon.<\/p>\n
Iran has maintained that it is not pursuing a nuclear weapons program\nand that its uranium enrichment activities are for peaceful and energy\npurposes.<\/p>\n
In a statement on Thursday morning ahead of a new round of talks\nbetween Iran and the US, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described\nclaims that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons as \u201clies,\u201d and insisted\nthat the country will not develop such weapons.<\/p>\n
He cited the same religious edict by Khamenei banning weapons of mass\ndestruction, which he said means that Tehran will not develop nuclear\nweapons.<\/p>\n
The third and latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations between\nIran and the US is currently underway in Geneva under the mediation of\nOman.<\/p>\n
The state-run news agency, IRNA, reported that the new round of\nindirect talks began at 10 am local time in one of the buildings\nbelonging to the Omani embassy.<\/p>\n
Shortly after arriving on Wednesday (February 25), Araghchi, who is\nleading the Iranian delegation in the talks, met with Omani Foreign\nMinister Badr Al-Busaidi to discuss the framework for the talks and\nTehran\u2019s proposed draft.<\/p>\n
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency\n(IAEA), also joined the talks as a technical observer, according to\nIranian media reports.<\/p>\n
The talks are being held amid a significant increase in US military\nstrength in the Persian Gulf region, along with a series of recent\nmilitary exercises conducted by Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps\n(IRGC).<\/p>\n
Source: Anadolu<\/p>\n
Translator: Cindy Frishanti Octavia<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iran-us-deal-possible-if-focus-is-on-not-developing-nuclear-weapons-1772152532", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }