Iran: US deal possible if focus is on not developing nuclear weapons
Tehran, Iran (ANTARA) - A senior Iranian official said on Thursday that a deal with the United States is “very likely” to be reached in the near future.
The main condition is that both sides agree that the core of the current Geneva negotiations is Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, affirmed via his X account that this non-nuclear weapons stance is in line with the “fatwa” (religious edict) of Ali Khamenei.
Shamkhani, who is the head of the newly formed Defence Council, said that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation in the Geneva talks, has “full support and authority to reach a deal.”
The status of Iran’s nuclear program is currently unclear following the June 2025 attack on three major nuclear facilities, which was claimed by US President Donald Trump to have “destroyed” the country’s nuclear infrastructure.
However, in recent days, Trump has raised the possibility of targeting Iran’s nuclear program, saying that Tehran is not saying that it does not want nuclear weapons.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff also claimed in a recent television interview that Iran is “just weeks away” from building a nuclear weapon.
Iran has maintained that it is not pursuing a nuclear weapons program and that its uranium enrichment activities are for peaceful and energy purposes.
In a statement on Thursday morning ahead of a new round of talks between Iran and the US, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described claims that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons as “lies,” and insisted that the country will not develop such weapons.
He cited the same religious edict by Khamenei banning weapons of mass destruction, which he said means that Tehran will not develop nuclear weapons.
The third and latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US is currently underway in Geneva under the mediation of Oman.
The state-run news agency, IRNA, reported that the new round of indirect talks began at 10 am local time in one of the buildings belonging to the Omani embassy.
Shortly after arriving on Wednesday (February 25), Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation in the talks, met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi to discuss the framework for the talks and Tehran’s proposed draft.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also joined the talks as a technical observer, according to Iranian media reports.
The talks are being held amid a significant increase in US military strength in the Persian Gulf region, along with a series of recent military exercises conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Source: Anadolu
Translator: Cindy Frishanti Octavia