Iran’s FM says deal with US ‘within reach’ if diplomacy ‘given priority’

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remarks on the eve of Geneva talks come as a second US aircraft carrier heads towards the Middle East.Published On 25 Feb 2026Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that a deal with the United States to avert conflict is “within reach”, on the eve of talks between the two countries in Geneva, Switzerland.Araghchi said that the “historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement” would depend on whether “diplomacy is given priority”, in a possible reference to US President Donald Trump’s ongoing threats to use military force against Iran.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US re-asserts 2025 strikes ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear programmelist 2 of 4Iran’s government stresses ‘red lines’ as students protest in universitieslist 3 of 4Lebanon’s army tells soldiers to act after post comes under Israeli firelist 4 of 4Iran cannot defeat US military might, but it can still winend of listIn a statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Iran’s top diplomat added that his country remained “crystal clear” that it would “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon“, while also recognising the right of Iran’s people to the benefits of “peaceful nuclear technology”.Indirect talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva will be the third round of discussions between Washington and Tehran mediated by Oman, which has said it hopes to see “a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalising the deal”.Araghchi has been leading the negotiations on behalf of Iran, while White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been representing the US.Following the most recent talks in Geneva, Trump said that Tehran had 10 to 15 days to make a “meaningful deal”, while again referring to the possible threat of military intervention amid a huge US military build-up near Iran.The talks on Thursday will take place as the US Navy has docked its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, at a NATO base on the Greek island of Crete, on its way towards the Middle East, where the US has been increasing its military presence in recent weeks.