Explainer: How the latest Iran-US Geneva talks unfolded and what’s next for nuclear diplomacy

By Humaira Ahad

In the most decisive phase of Iran-US nuclear diplomacy since the June 2025 imposed war, Iranian and American negotiators wrapped up a second round of indirect talks in Geneva on Tuesday, following an initial meeting earlier this month in Muscat, Oman.

Both Iran and the United States described the latest round as “very serious” and “focused,” even as American threats and military posturing continue to ripple across the region.

For the first time, negotiators on both sides acknowledged that the outlines of a potential framework are starting to emerge, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation, noting that the path forward has been set.

In Geneva, the talks mediated by Oman unfolded against the backdrop of an intensifying US military buildup, a pressure tactic Tehran has come to treat as familiar.

Shortly before the latest round of indirect talks, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, responded to Trump’s war rhetoric, warning that Iran’s missiles, capable of sinking American carriers, are “more dangerous” than the warships themselves.

Hours before the negotiations began, Iran briefly closed sections of the Strait of Hormuz for military drills, a stark reminder that Tehran retains both the initiative and the leverage to respond to any escalation.

What happened in the Geneva talks?

The second round was held at the residence of the Omani ambassador in the Swiss capital in the quiet lakeside neighbourhood of Cologny, not the Omani consulate as initially indicated.

The shift in venue, kept deliberately opaque until the final hours, reflected the degree of discretion Oman insisted upon after the confusion of the Muscat round.

The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Araghchi, while the American delegation was led by US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner.

As in the first talks, there was no direct meeting or conversation between Iranian and American representatives. Omani mediators shuttled between the rooms, carrying proposals, counter-proposals, and clarifications in a highly controlled format designed to minimize misinterpretation.

Oman’s foreign minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, later acknowledged that meaningful progress had been made in identifying overlapping objectives and technical issues, even though “much remains to be done.”

What was on the agenda in Geneva?

Unlike the United States, which arrived pushing for broad commitments on Iran’s nuclear stockpile and tried to widen the talks to Iran's defense capabilities, Tehran entered the talks in Geneva with a clear blueprint – the talks would be limited to nuclear and technical issues.

For the Iranian side, the agenda revolved around the issue of nuclear enrichment and lifting of unjust and illegal sanctions.

Iran made it clear that there would be no discussion of Iran’s defense program and no engagement with Washington’s long-standing demand for “zero enrichment,” a condition the Islamic Republic rejects as unrealistic, discriminatory, and incompatible with its sovereign rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

This position was reinforced repeatedly in public by Iranian officials. Following the talks, FM Araghchi reminded delegates at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, and the country holds the right to peaceful nuclear energy.

"This right is inherent, non-negotiable, and legally binding," he said, emphasizing that the NPT explicitly recognizes the inalienable right of states to produce and use nuclear energy.

Sanctions relief remained the core of the negotiating agenda. Iranian officials signaled that no gesture from Tehran would come without a measurable action from Washington.

What did Iranian officials say after the talks?

At the conclusion of the latest round, the Iranian foreign minister said, “Good progress was made compared to the previous session, and this round was conducted in a more constructive atmosphere.”

Araghchi emphasized, “From now on, we will proceed based on the guiding principles and move towards drafting the text of a possible agreement.”

Speaking about the next round of talks, Araghchi stated that no date has been set.

“The parties agreed to work on the texts of a potential agreement and exchange them before agreeing on the date of the next round of talks,” he noted.

“This does not mean that we can reach an agreement quickly, but at least the path has begun. We hope this will be accomplished as soon as possible.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a TV interview late on Tuesday, said the process was being conducted with full coordination from the Leader and that the Iranian system was aligned behind a diplomatic strategy aimed at “resolving issues, not talking for the sake of talking.”

President Pezeshkian added that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and is open to verification mechanisms. But he also made clear that Iran will not be prohibited from using nuclear science to advance its health sector, agriculture, and industry.

The issue, he stressed, is not nuclear capability but nuclear intent, and Iran’s intent has been repeatedly declared peaceful.

What agreements were reached in Geneva?

Though no formal agreement was signed in Geneva, the second round yielded the most important achievement so far, as both sides accepted that the negotiations had moved beyond exploratory talks and beyond the general outline.

The understanding reached in Geneva included agreement on guiding principles that will shape the next sessions.

These principles cover both sanctions and nuclear issues, including the sequencing of actions, the mechanism for verification, and the framework through which Iran’s peaceful nuclear rights will be preserved.

Crucially, Iran succeeded in keeping the negotiations confined strictly to nuclear enrichment. Attempts by the US to expand the agenda were blocked by Iranian diplomats.

Iran’s foreign ministry made clear that the next round will involve drafting, a major step forward.

Drafting signifies that Washington has accepted the necessity of concrete, reciprocal commitments rather than rhetorical posturing.

Why does mistrust continue to exist?

At the heart of the negotiations lies a profound mistrust. The talks have unfolded against a backdrop of rising regional tensions.

The United States has surged its naval presence in the Persian Gulf, first dispatching the USS Abraham Lincoln in January and now sending the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is reportedly en route to join the Lincoln strike group in the Arabian Sea.

In late January, Trump referred to “another beautiful armada” of warships heading towards Iran and warned that failure to secure an agreement would result in consequences “far worse” than the unlawful strikes that American warplanes had carried out against Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025.

The unilateral US withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA and the later bombing of Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites during the talks last year are episodes that continue to fuel mistrust.

This wariness means Iran approaches each session of talks with simultaneous preparation for diplomacy and confrontation.

Even with procedural progress in Geneva, both sides face a long and uncertain process before any concrete agreement can be reached.

What experts say about the road ahead?

Analysts caution that any prediction of a timeline for a deal remains premature.

The historical background, particularly the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and the June 2025 bombings of peaceful Iranian facilities during the Oman-mediated nuclear negotiations, continues to overshadow the ongoing negotiations.

The Iranian leadership has reaffirmed the country’s willingness to negotiate while firmly rejecting pressure or coercion.

Military options, observers stress, remain on the table for both parties, a stark difference from previous rounds of talks.

The consensus is that this round, while incremental, represents the most serious engagement since the June 2025 US-Israel aggression against Iran.

Iran is prepared to pursue verification and structured agreements, but only within a framework that guarantees respect for its rights, safeguards its nuclear program for peaceful purposes, and addresses historical grievances.

The issue came up for discussion between the Iranian delegation and the UN nuclear agency chief, Rafael Grossi, in Geneva on Tuesday. Grossi was also present during the negotiations.

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