Iran has sought to reach an agreement on nuclear weapons, minerals, and economic issues. It has demanded that Iran be freed from US sanctions and restrictions on global markets.
What you should know
The second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States are taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the talks on behalf of Iran.
Oman will mediate indirect talks between the two countries in Geneva. That is, Omani mediators will discuss the two sides separately. Earlier, indirect talks were held between the two countries in Oman last week.
Iran has been demanding an agreement that would benefit both sides economically. Foreign Minister Araghchi has said that Iran is ready to hold open talks on all issues, including nuclear energy.
US envoy for the Middle East Steve Whittaker and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will lead the US team in these talks, the AP reported.
Last week, indirect talks were held between Iran and the US in Muscat, Oman, breaking a six-month period of no dialogue. US President Donald Trump expressed that the talks were positive.
But on Friday, during a visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump accused Iran of not being serious about the talks. “They’ve been talking for 47 years. And we’ve seen a lot of people die while they’ve been talking,” Trump said.
At a press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump was clear in favor of talks and a diplomatic solution. “Nobody has been able to successfully negotiate with Iran. But we’re trying,” Rubio said.
Hamid Ghanbari, deputy director of economic diplomacy at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said that the economic interests of both sides are at the center of the upcoming agreement to make it sustainable.
‘The issues under discussion include gas and petrol, joint ventures, investment in mining and even aircraft purchases,’ Ghanbari told the Fars News Agency. He said the 2015 nuclear deal failed because the nuclear deal failed to secure America’s economic interests.
What does Iran want?
Iran is seeking a deal on nuclear weapons, minerals and economic issues. It wants the US to lift sanctions and restrictions on Iran’s global market. In return, Iran is ready to make a big cut in uranium enrichment.
The 2015 nuclear deal stipulated that Iran would not be allowed to enrich uranium to more than 3.7 percent. Similarly, it stipulated that uranium stockpiles should be limited to 300 kilograms. This level is sufficient for energy and medical purposes, but not enough to make weapons. Scientists say that uranium must be enriched to (80-90 percent) for weapons production. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement signed by the US, UK, Russia, China, France, Germany and Iran in 2018. The US has since imposed continuous economic sanctions on Iran. Iran has also said that it is not obligated to abide by the agreement.
It removed the 24-hour cameras installed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the nuclear facility. Then it secretly moved forward with its nuclear program.
Currently, it has a stockpile of 400 kg of uranium with an enrichment level of around 60 percent . Uranium with a lower enrichment level is equivalent to about 10,000 kg . Iran has stated that it is ready to implement the previous proposal to reduce uranium enrichment to 3.7 percent .
However, US President Donald Trump has said that uranium enrichment should be reduced to zero . The five rounds of talks in 2025 were stuck on this issue . Meanwhile, the situation worsened after the war between Iran and Israel broke out in June . The US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities to support Israel . In response, Iran attacked a US military base in Qatar .
Threats and talks together
US President Donald Trump has moved forward with talks with Iran and threats at the same time . He is threatening to attack Iran if the nuclear talks are not successful .
The US has long kept the Abraham Lincoln battleship in the Middle East to put pressure on the Iranian regime . On Friday, he ordered the world's largest warship, the USS Gerald Ford, to go to the Middle East . The ship will take three weeks to reach the Middle East from the Caribbean Sea. Trump also expressed his solidarity with the anti-government protests in Iran that have been going on since December 28. He said, "Iran must stop its nuclear program and its killing of people." The Iranian government has claimed that the protests, which were extremely violent in January, have been brought under control in recent days. But the international news agency AFP reported that anti-government slogans were raised again on Sunday. The internet shutdown in Iran has made it difficult for international media and human rights activists to determine the exact number of people who died in the protests. However, locals say that there was a major crackdown here in January and the death toll is also high. People around the world have expressed solidarity with the protesters by protesting against this crackdown. More than 200,000 people gathered in Munich, Germany, on Saturday to demonstrate against the Iranian regime.
Protesters gathered near the conference site as the Munich Security Conference was underway, demanding that world leaders change Iran's regime through economic sanctions and military intervention. Addressing the gathering, Pahlavi said he was ready to lead the country.
'I have come here to ensure a secular democratic future,' he said, 'I am ready to be a transitional leader.' So that one day we will have the opportunity to decide the fate of our country democratically, transparently and through a voting process.' Demonstrations were held in cities including Toronto, London, Los Angeles, Sydney and others on Saturday.
