United States President, Donald Trump, has disclosed that he will be “indirectly” involved in nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. scheduled to begin in Geneva later on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US president said he believed Tehran was interested in reaching an agreement over its nuclear programme.
The fresh round of discussions in Switzerland comes amid heightened tensions, following repeated military threats against Iran over its crackdown on anti-government protests and the long-running dispute over its nuclear activities.
Iran has said Tuesday’s meeting, mediated by Oman, will centre on its nuclear programme and the possible lifting of US economic sanctions.
However, Washington has signalled it may also raise broader concerns, including Iran’s missile stockpile.
Trump described the talks as “very important” and suggested Iran was driven by the desire to avoid further consequence.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Trump said, recalling last summer’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s,” Trump said, referring to the stealth bombers used in the attacks. “I hope they’re going to be more reasonable.”
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of a growing US military presence in the Middle East.
BBC Verify has confirmed the location of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier near Iran using satellite imagery.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with the head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday, saying in a post on X that he was in Geneva to “achieve a fair and equitable deal”.
“What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Araqchi said.
Iran has also responded with its own show of strength.
On Monday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched maritime drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route for oil exports from Gulf Arab states.
The White House said Washington has dispatched Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for the talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of reaching an agreement with Tehran.
“I think that there’s an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement … but I don’t want to overstate it either,” Rubio said during a visit to Hungary on Monday. “It’s going to be hard.”
(BBC News)