The U.S. and Iran made “significant progress” Thursday in high-stakes negotiations in Geneva to curb Tehran’s nuclear programs, the Omani foreign minister who mediated the meetings said, though neither side confirmed anything close to a deal despite a massive buildup of American military firepower in the region aimed at forcing Iranian concessions.
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who mediated the indirect talks, said a fourth round of negotiations would be held next week in Vienna to give both sides time to discuss proposals.
“We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran,” he wrote on X. “I am grateful to all concerned for their efforts: the negotiators, the [International Atomic Energy Agency], and our hosts the Swiss government.”
The Associated Press later reported that officials in Tehran told Iranian state television that the Islamic republic, widely seen as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, would continue enriching uranium. That would indicate Iran is not prepared to meet President Trump’s demands.
Mr. Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity while the regime is struggling with growing domestic dissent after nationwide protests. Iran also hopes to avert war but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium. It does not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Both sides met in the morning at an Omani diplomatic residence in Geneva for a third round of negotiations aimed at reaching a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear program. After several hours, the two parties took an extended break before briefly meeting again in the afternoon.
The U.S. delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, reportedly met with Ukrainian officials in Geneva during the break.
During the break, the foreign ministries of Iran and Oman declared that both sides had exchanged “creative” and “constructive” proposals, including possible concessions on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief, though neither side provided details.
The indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. include the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, who has consistently urged Iran to be more transparent with its nuclear program.
The two sides held two other rounds of discussions centered on Iran’s nuclear program this month.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who leads Iran’s delegation, said the talks have been productive, but he insisted they are just the beginning.
Many see the meeting as a last-ditch effort to avoid military conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Mr. Trump declared that Tehran must make a deal or face U.S. military intervention. The targets of potential U.S. strikes remain unclear, but Iran has said U.S. military bases in the region would be considered legitimate targets in the event of an American attack.
Over the past month, the Pentagon has facilitated a massive military buildup in the Middle East not seen since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Two aircraft carriers, dozens of fighter jets, refueling tankers, warships and air defense batteries that have been moved to the area over the past few weeks could assist in an attack against Iran and defend U.S. assets in the region if Tehran retaliates.
Although the buildup has been alarming to many, some analysts see the productive meetings this month as evidence that Mr. Trump has reconsidered launching strikes against Iran.
“At this stage, we’re seeing a lot of appetite for a strong nuclear agreement, one that surpasses the Obama one, but also has mutual benefits, especially in terms of sanctions relief, and potentially even a memorandum of understanding,” said Bamo Nouri, senior lecturer in international relations at the University of West London and honorary research fellow at City St. George’s, University of London. “I don’t even see full-on negotiations yet. These are just the beginning of establishing talks, but there’s definitely an appetite there for something meaningful to be established.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly warned Iran that it needs to make a deal on its nuclear program to avoid military conflict.
Over the past month, Washington also has demanded that Iran roll back its ballistic missile program and halt its support for regional proxy groups in Lebanon and Yemen. Iran rejected discussing those issues and has maintained that discussions have been “exclusively nuclear.”
Iran insists that it has the right under international law to enrich uranium and that it has no interest in seeking a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials also have said that Tehran will not negotiate under threat of military action.
The negotiations this month are the first official diplomatic meetings between Iran and the U.S. since last year, when the two nations held five rounds of nuclear discussions. Those talks were abruptly halted after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran in June, prompting a 12-day war that the U.S. eventually joined.
U.S. bombers destroyed three of Iran’s heavily fortified uranium enrichment sites during the war.
Since then, Iran has paused its uranium enrichment efforts but has been fortifying its key nuclear sites. It also has made significant progress on rebuilding its ballistic missile program after attacks from Israel.
U.S. partners in the Middle East have reportedly expressed alarm at the prospect of further attacks on Iran, warning that Tehran’s retaliatory efforts could spark a regional conflict and could drive up oil prices.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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