Iran-US talks: agreement reached on ‘guiding principles’ after ‘constructive’ meeting, Tehran says | Iran

Iran described the latest round of indirect talks with the US as “more constructive” than the previous set earlier this month, saying agreement had been reached on “general guidelines” that could lead to a further meeting to discuss its nuclear program.

The talks – held in Geneva by Omani mediators – were to discuss the conditions for Tehran limiting its nuclear program under the supervision of the UN nuclear weapons inspectorate. They finished after three and a half hours.

There was no immediate word from the US delegation, but the US was expected to continue its military build-up in the region ahead of a further round of talks in about two weeks designed to address the gaps between the two sides.

The talks took place against the backdrop of a now-famous series of conflicting messages from Donald Trump, in which the US president said he believed Iran wanted a deal but also highlighted the US naval military buildup in the region.

In Iran, it was a day of high emotion as many people attended memorial ceremonies for the thousands killed in recent protests, held on the 40th day since the deaths, in accordance with Shia mourning tradition.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei admitted that some bystanders were killed. Attending a ceremony in Mashhad, the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, looked broken as he stared at a sea of ​​photos of Iranians killed in the protests.

Iran has refused to allow a UN independent fact-finding committee to cooperate with an internal investigation into the killings. Politicians who blamed the security services were arrested.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the talks that “agreement was reached on general guiding principles” and added: “The atmosphere in this round of negotiations was more constructive. Good progress was made compared to the first meeting.

“Both sides have positions that will take some time to come closer to each other. The road to an agreement has started, but that does not mean we can reach an agreement quickly.”

He added that the aim was to exchange texts on a draft agreement and then set a date for a further meeting.

Khamenei responded to the presence of US warships off the coast of Oman – across the Gulf of Iran – by saying the US could not destroy the Islamic Republic and appeared to threaten the vessels.

Warships were dangerous, he said, but “more dangerous than a warship is a weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.” He said Iran could not be involved in a “foolish” predetermined negotiation in which the only outcome was that Iran was not allowed nuclear energy.

Iran also announced that parts of the Strait of Hormuz would be closed on Tuesday to allow the Iranian navy to conduct live-fire exercises. A complete closure of this narrow waterway, which is controlled by Iran, would cause chaos for commercial shipping.

Iran has insisted throughout the talks – the first round of which was held on February 6 – that it will not discuss its ballistic missile program or its support for so-called proxy forces in the region. In a speech to the UN, Araghchi said Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons and stressed its willingness to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Instead, Iran focused its offer on a plan to dilute its 40kg stockpile of 60% highly enriched uranium, and the access it would grant the IAEA – the UN’s nuclear inspectorate – to Iran’s bombed nuclear sites.

Highly enriched uranium at 60% is almost weapons-grade material, and is not needed for a civilian nuclear program.

Discussions also continued over how long Iran could suspend enrichment – in part because US bombing of its nuclear sites would make it impossible to do so for as long as three years – but Iran has not ceded its right to enrich uranium domestically, a central US demand.

The Iranian side was led by Araghchi, who met with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, on Monday. The US side met with Grossi on Tuesday and underlined how verification of the nuclear industry was at the center of Tuesday’s round of talks.

Any agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program would require a full return of the IAEA inspectors to Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities.

Previous talks in Cairo on the Iran-IAEA protocols that would give the IAEA full access to three major nuclear strikes broke down. A small number of IAEA inspectors are still working in Iran, but they have no detailed knowledge of the damage caused by the US bombing or how many centrifuges can be quickly restarted. The process of “blending down” highly enriched uranium and downgrading it from weapons grade is a recognized technology.

Tehran has also offered Trump sweeteners in the form of a prosperity package, and a non-aggression pact between Iran and the US – and possibly Israel.

At times, Trump has said that the best outcome would be for Khamenei to step down, but the US doesn’t seem to have a strategy to achieve that. The US president has not committed to supporting Reza Pahlavi, the former shah’s son, who has many supporters and presents himself as a transitional figure to democracy.

In Iran, an executive committee for the establishment of a national rescue front of Iran was formed around the three principles outlined by former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who is now entering his 16th year of house arrest. The principles are: non-interference by foreign powers; rejection of internal despotism; and a democratic and peaceful transition. In a formation statement, the group said it wants to be “the connecting link” between Iranians who want a free, fair and impartial referendum to determine Iran’s future political system.

In an attempt to stop this movement, the security services arrested many prominent reformist politicians, along with thousands of mainly young protesters. A group formerly close to President Pezeshkian, operating under the banner of the Reform Front, was arrested last week, but over the weekend most were released, largely on bail. Fars news agency reported that Pezeshkian intervened to secure their release. They do not appear to be politically active now.

Others were still in prison, such as Mostafa Tajzadeh, who was handed a new 14-month sentence this week for propaganda against the regime. Another reformer, Ali Shakouri-Rad, was charged with propaganda against the regime after he claimed that the security services may have carried out false flag operations by attacking mosques. He was referring to an article written by an IRGC officer.

The judiciary said on Tuesday that 10,538 protesters had been summoned for trial so far, and there were widespread reports of prosecutors trying to extract confessions under physical pressure. Protesters are also routinely denied the right to choose their own lawyer. Hundreds of people were arrested in one raid in Hamadan province.