- The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister says he is ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
- We will do whatever it takes to achieve this: Takht-Ravanchi
- Talks between Iran and the United States are expected to take place in Geneva on Thursday.
DUBAI: Iran is ready to take all necessary steps to reach an agreement with the United States, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday, as the two countries prepare for a new round of negotiations.
The talks are expected to take place Thursday in Geneva, a senior U.S. official said Monday, and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet with an Iranian delegation for the negotiations.
The two countries resumed negotiations earlier this month as the United States strengthens its military capacity in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region in the event of an attack.
“We are ready to reach an agreement as quickly as possible. We will do everything in our power to achieve this. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith,” Takht-Ravanchi said in comments reported by state media.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s first option is still diplomacy, but that he is prepared to use lethal force if necessary.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran would seriously consider sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad, diluting the rest and participating in the creation of a regional enrichment consortium – an idea periodically floated during years of Iran-related diplomacy.
Iran would do this in exchange for the United States recognizing its right to “peaceful nuclear enrichment” under a deal that would also include lifting economic sanctions, the official said.
“If there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we will respond in accordance with our defense plans…A US attack on Iran is a real gamble,” Takht-Ravanchi added.
Indirect negotiations between the two sides last year produced no agreement, mainly due to friction over the U.S. demand that Iran give up uranium enrichment on its soil, which Washington sees as a path to a nuclear bomb.
Iran has always denied seeking such weapons.
The United States joined Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear sites last June, reducing Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Trump saying its major nuclear sites had been “wiped out.” But Iran still appears to have previously enriched stocks, which Washington wants it to abandon.
