- Tensions rise as America’s second aircraft carrier heads to the Middle East.
- Iran holds military exercise in Strait of Hormuz amid tensions.
- IAEA urges Iran to account for missing uranium stockpiles.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would be involved “indirectly” in high-stakes negotiations between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, adding that he believed Tehran wanted to reach a deal.
“I will be involved indirectly in those discussions. And they will be very important,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Tensions are soaring as the negotiations approach, with the United States deploying a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East. The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign if talks fail, U.S. officials told Reuters.
Asked about the prospects for a deal, Trump said Iran had long sought to take a tough stance in negotiations, but learned of the consequences of that approach last summer when the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
Trump suggested that Tehran was motivated to negotiate this time.
“I don’t think they want to suffer the consequences of no deal,” Trump said.
Washington pushes Tehran to give up enrichment
Before the US strikes in June, nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran were stalled over Washington’s demand that Tehran renounce enrichment on its soil, which the United States sees as a path to Iran’s nuclear weapon.
“We could have made a deal instead of sending B-2s to destroy their nuclear potential. And we had to send B-2s,” Trump said, referring to the U.S. bat-winged stealth bombers that carried out the bombings.
“I hope they will be more reasonable.”
The remarks contrast with those of the US president on Friday, when he welcomed possible regime change in Iran and lamented decades of failed negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with the head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday, saying in a message on X that he was in Geneva to “reach a fair and just agreement.”
“What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Araqchi said.
Questions about uranium stocks
The International Atomic Energy Agency has for months been calling on Iran to say what happened to its stockpile of 440 kg (970 pounds) of highly enriched uranium following the Israeli-US strikes and to allow inspections to fully resume, including at three key sites that were bombed in June last year: Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any attack, which would choke off a fifth of global oil flows and send crude prices sharply higher.
Iran held a military exercise on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway and oil export route from Gulf Arab states, which have used diplomacy to end the dispute.
Despite Trump’s comments about Iran seeking a deal, the negotiations face significant potential stumbling blocks.
Washington has sought to broaden the scope of negotiations to non-nuclear issues such as Iran’s missile stockpile.
Tehran says it is only willing to discuss limiting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and will not accept zero enrichment of uranium. He says its missile capabilities are no longer on the agenda.
Speaking on Monday during a visit to Hungary, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it would be difficult to reach an agreement with Tehran.
“I think there is an opportunity here to reach a diplomatic agreement … but I also don’t want to overstate it,” Rubio said.
“It’s going to be difficult. It’s been very difficult for anyone to make real deals with Iran because we’re dealing with radical Shiite clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical decisions.”
