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Last Updated:February 26, 2026, 20:19 IST
Iran said delegates from the country and the United States exchanged “very constructive” proposals during their third round of talks in Geneva.
Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against Iran's government in Geneva ahead of US-Iran talks. (Reuters)
The United States and Iran held the third round of indirect talks in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to avoid war amid the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades, after which Tehran signalled that an immediate agreement was “within reach".
After the talks, Iran’s foreign ministry says delegates from the country and the United States have exchanged “very constructive" proposals so far. Ali Shamkhani, a prominent adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, suggested that an agreement could be reached with the US if the negotiations focused solely on Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.
“If the main issue of the negotiations is preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons, this would be in line with the supreme leader’s fatwa (religious edict) and Iran’s defence doctrine, and an immediate agreement is within reach," he said on X.
Shamkhani further said Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had “sufficient support and authority for this deal."
This came after US President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Thursday, accused Iran of “pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions". He also claimed Tehran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America". However, Iran has denied these claims.
Iran, US Expressed ‘Unprecedented Openness’
The US and Iranian delegations arrived at the venue at the Omani ambassador’s residence amid tight security, as Iranian exiles held protests outside the venue calling for a regime change.
Oman, which mediated the latest round of talks, said the two sides had expressed “unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions". He later said the talks had been paused but would resume later in the day. UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi also joined the talks, AFP reported.
“(They) reviewed the Iranian side’s views and proposals, as well as the responses and inquiries of the US negotiating team, related to addressing the main elements of Iran’s nuclear programme and the necessary guarantees to achieve the desired agreement on this important issue in all its technical and monitoring aspects," he said.
Ahead of the talks, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic Republic was not “at all" seeking a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran must negotiate on its missile programme, adding that Tehran’s refusal to discuss ballistic weapons was “a big, big problem".
Trump Prefers Diplomatic Solution: Vance
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Trump still preferred a diplomatic solution with Iran and hoped that Iranians took that seriously in their negotiations in Geneva.
Vance told Fox News that Trump has been clear that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. He said Trump wants to achieve that goal diplomatically, but has other tools at his disposal. “You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons," he said.
The US vice president said the Trump administration was “hopeful that we’re able to come to a good resolution without the military but if we have to use the military the president of course has that right as well."
US Senator Says He Prefers Regime Change
US Senator Lindsey Graham, a hardline Trump ally, insisted that Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium to any degree and that he was in favour of regime change. “If media reports are true that there is a consideration of allowing Iran to have very small enrichment of uranium for face-saving purposes: screw that," the Republican senator said on X.
“This regime is made up of religious Nazis that are the largest state sponsor of terrorism. The regime has American blood on its hands and they have killed over 30,000 of their citizens simply because they demand the end to their oppression. I could care less about efforts to save face for this regime. I would like to see the people of Iran change the regime – it’s long overdue," he added.
(with inputs from agencies)
First Published:
February 26, 2026, 20:19 IST
News world Iran Says Immediate Agreement With US To Avert War 'Within Reach' After Geneva Talks | Top Points
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