Iran says oil, gas, mining and aircraft deals on table in US talks as Tehran signals nuclear flexibility ahead of Tuesday Geneva negotiations. US sends second carrier.
US Preps Military Option, Sends Second Carrier as Iran Opens Door to Energy Sector Deals (Image: X)
Iran has indicated that potential deals in energy, mining and aircraft purchases are on the table in ongoing negotiations with the United States, as both sides prepare for a second round of talks aimed at resolving the decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme. An Iranian diplomat said Sunday that for any agreement to be durable, the U.S. must also benefit from areas with high economic returns, days before indirect negotiations are set to resume in Geneva.
A US delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday for the second round of indirect nuclear negotiations, with Oman acting as mediator. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi left Tehran for Geneva to take part in the talks and meet the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Unlike the multilateral negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear pact, the current discussions are confined to Iran and the United States.
Foreign ministry deputy director for economic diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Sunday that common interests in oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments, and even aircraft purchases are included in the negotiations. Speaking to the semi-official Fars news agency, Ghanbari argued that for an agreement's durability, it is essential that the US also benefits in areas with high and quick economic returns. He contended that the 2015 nuclear pact with world powers had not secured US economic interests, implying the current talks offer broader incentives.
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi indicated Iran's readiness to compromise on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, telling the BBC on Sunday that the ball is "in America's court to prove that they want to do a deal." The senior official pointed to the Iranian atomic chief's statement on Monday that the country could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for the lifting of sanctions as an example of Iran's flexibility. However, he reiterated that Tehran would not accept zero uranium enrichment, a key sticking point with Washington which views enrichment inside Iran as a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking such weapons.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a news conference in Bratislava, said President Donald Trump had made it clear that he would prefer diplomacy and a negotiated settlement, while making clear that may not happen. "No one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran but we're going to try," Rubio said. The US has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign if the talks do not succeed, US officials have told Reuters. In June, the US joined Israel in a series of air strikes that targeted Iranian nuclear sites.
The US is stepping up economic pressure on Iran alongside the diplomatic track. At a White House meeting earlier this week, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that the US would work to reduce Iran's oil exports to China, Axios reported on Saturday. China accounts for more than 80 percent of Iran's oil exports, so any reduction in that trade would significantly lower Iran's oil revenue. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the Middle East if attacked by US forces but took a conciliatory line Sunday by emphasizing potential economic cooperation.
Disclaimer: This information is based on inputs from news agency reports. TSG does not independently confirm the information provided by the relevant sources.
