Iran’s Araghchi arrives in Geneva for second round of nuclear talks with US

Iran’s top diplomat says he will meet with IAEA director before the high-stakes talks with US are held on Tuesday.Published On 16 Feb 2026Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Geneva for high-stakes second round of nuclear talks with the United States aimed at reducing tensions and avert a new military confrontation that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned could turn into a regional conflict.“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X on Monday. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran’s Araghchi slams European powers for ‘irrelevance’ in nuclear talkslist 2 of 4Netanyahu calls for dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme in any US deallist 3 of 4Trump and Netanyahu align on Iran pressure but split on endgamelist 4 of 4Iran seeks to get out of FATF blacklist amid domestic political divisionsend of listIran and the US renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their ⁠decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme as US deploys warships, including a second aircraft carrier, to the region as mediators work to prevent a war.Araghchi said he will be joined by Iranian nuclear experts for a “deep technical discussion” later on Monday with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).The United Nations nuclear watchdog has been calling for access to Iran’s main nuclear facilities that were bombed by the US and Israel during the 12-day war in June. Tehran has said there might be a risk of radiation, so an official protocol is required to carry out the unprecedented task of inspecting highly enriched uranium ostensibly buried under the rubble.Araghchi also said he would meet his Omani counterpart, Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, who mediated the first round of talks between Iran and the US since the war earlier this month.Iran has repeatedly emphasised that it will not agree to Washington’s demand for zero nuclear enrichment, and considers its missile programme a “red line” that cannot be negotiated.Meanwhile, the US continues to build up its military presence in the region, with President Donald Trump saying a change of power in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen” and sending in a second aircraft carrier.