Iran claims it is open to compromise with the US on a nuclear deal if the government is willing to talk about lifting sanctions, a senior Iranian official said on Sunday.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, also said in an interview that the ball was “in America’s court to prove that they want to make a deal,” adding: “If they are sincere, I am sure we are moving towards an agreement.”
“We are ready to discuss these and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.
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Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says Iran is willing to compromise if the US discusses lifting sanctions. (SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)
Takht-Ravanchi’s comments came as Iran’s top diplomat traveled to Geneva for a second round of indirect talks with the US delegation.
Abbas Araghchi left for the Swiss city after a first round of talks last week, with Oman again mediating the next round of talks, Iranian state media and the Associated press.
However, US officials have emphasized that Iran – not the US – is holding up the negotiations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on February 14 that President Donald Trump would prefer to reach an agreement, but warned that it would be “very difficult” to reach an agreement with Iran.
Past diplomatic efforts had collapsed in 2025 after Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
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This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the Natanz nuclear power plant in Iran on January 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies/AP)
But on Sunday, Takht-Ravanchi pointed to Tehran’s offer to dilute its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity as evidence of its willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.
Asked whether Iran would ship its stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium abroad, as it did under the 2015 deal, Takht-Ravanchi said it was “too early to say what will happen in the course of the negotiations.”
One of Iran’s main demands is that the talks focus on the nuclear issue. “We understand that they have come to the conclusion that if you want to make a deal, you have to focus on the nuclear issue,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
Takht-Ravanchi also said that the “issue of zero enrichment is no longer an issue and as far as Iran is concerned it is no longer on the table.”
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The USS Gerald R. Ford was ordered to move to the Middle East as the US prepared for the possibility of continued operations against Iran. (Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/US Navy via AP)
Trump has since threatened further military action if an agreement cannot be reached to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
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The US has also beefed up its military presence in the region amid increased tensions, with thousands reportedly dead at the hands of the clerical regime following spiraling protests across the country in December.
