Talks between Iran and the US concluded in Geneva on Thursday as officials called “significant progress” and announced another meeting in Vienna within days.
But despite senior US officials describing the third round as ‘positive’, per AxiosIranian state television also reported that Tehran will continue enriching uranium and rejected proposals to take it abroad.
According to The Associated Press According to the reports, Iran is also pushing for the lifting of international sanctions – indicating the country’s unwillingness to meet President Donald Trump’s demands.
The negotiations were conducted mainly indirectly, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi passing messages between the two sides.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi gives a thumbs up as he leaves his hotel to reach Oman’s ambassadorial residence for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran on Iran’s nuclear program. (Stoff COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)
In a post on X, al-Busaidi confirmed that the round had been completed and said discussions would resume soon.
“We ended the day after significant progress in negotiations between the United States and Iran,” he said on X.
“We will resume consultations in the respective capitals shortly after. The technical-level discussions will take place in Vienna next week. I am grateful to all involved for their efforts: the negotiators, the IAEA, and our hosts, the Swiss government,” al-Busaidi said.
There was no immediate public statement from US or Iranian officials after the session.
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Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and Jared Kushner (L) meet with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi (R) in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss ongoing diplomatic negotiations on Thursday, February 26, 2026. (Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X)
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, attended the three-hour negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was also involved, with Iranian officials presenting a draft proposal for a possible nuclear deal with the US, which sets out key requirements.
Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium and appears to be refusing to negotiate on other issues, including its long-range missile program and support for armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sits next to a senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)
Trump, meanwhile, is pushing for a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. In his State of the Union address on February 24, the president said he prefers a diplomatic solution.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s largest sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” the president said. “I can’t let that happen.”
As the talks unfolded in Geneva on Thursday, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also wrote on
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He added that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has “sufficient support and authority” to reach a final agreement in the talks.
This development came as the US continued to amass military assets, including a fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East.
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