Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Signals Flexibility on Uranium Stockpile, Says Missile Program 'Off the Table' Ahead of U.S. Talks

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator, arrived in Geneva to lead a second, Oman-mediated round of indirect talks with U.S. envoys aimed at reviving negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Iran’s military chief warned that a war would have consequences for the United States and criticized President Trump’s mix of threats and diplomatic overtures”

@globaltimesnews

Multiple accounts report he will meet Swiss and Omani counterparts and hold technical discussions with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi as preparatory work for the talks.

@globaltimesnews

The Geneva round follows an initial Muscat session earlier in February.

Reports identify U.S. participants in the Geneva round as special envoy Steve Witkoff and other senior figures named in various outlets, underscoring the high diplomatic profile of the resumption.

Ahead of the talks Araghchi signalled limited flexibility on Iran’s near‑weapons‑grade uranium stocks.

Iranian officials were reported to have floated options such as diluting 60%‑enriched uranium or accepting enhanced international oversight in return for sanctions relief.

Al Jazeera

Several outlets describe Tehran seeking "high and rapid economic returns" and concrete sanctions relief as the price of any compromise on enrichment levels, while presenting these steps as conditional on U.S. "sincerity".

Araghchi and other Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted that Iran’s ballistic‑missile programme and regional proxy activities are not on the negotiating table.

“The piece reports on recent strikes and notes that Switzerland has long served as the protecting power for U”

Al-Jazeera Net

They have made that stance even as Washington seeks to broaden talks beyond purely nuclear limits.

Multiple sources quote Iranian officials saying missiles and regional issues are off limits, while U.S. and Israeli leaders press for those topics to be addressed or conditioned in any deal.

The IAEA and international reporting highlight a technical and verification sticking point: roughly 400–440 kg of 60%‑enriched uranium whose status has been unclear since inspectors last saw it in June after strikes on Iranian sites.

The IAEA has pressed Tehran to explain the whereabouts of that material and to resume full inspections at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, while Iran says access to damaged sites requires special safety protocols.

Arab News PK

Some reporting includes IAEA warnings that the stockpile, if weaponized, could be sufficient for several bombs, while Iran stresses a civilian programme and conditional cooperation based on sanctions relief.

All coverage places the diplomatic talks within a broader atmosphere of regional tension and military signalling.

U.S. forces have bolstered naval presence, with reports citing a second aircraft carrier and additional destroyers.

BBC

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards staged Strait of Hormuz drills and civil defence units held chemical-defence exercises.

President Trump warned of consequences if negotiations fail.

Reporting also highlights Iran’s economic demands — from aviation and mining to oil and gas — as part of Tehran’s negotiating objectives.

Reporting also notes Israeli insistence, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that any deal must remove enriched material and dismantle enrichment capability.