Dubai. Iran says it is prepared to take any necessary steps to reach an agreement with the United States as the two sides prepare for a fresh round of negotiations this week.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said Tehran would enter the talks in good faith and was keen to secure a deal as soon as possible.
The negotiations are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, where US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet an Iranian delegation.
The renewed diplomatic push comes as the United States strengthens its military presence in the Middle East. Iran has warned it would strike US bases in the region if attacked.
“We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith,” Takht-Ravanchi said in remarks carried by state media.
At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump preferred diplomacy but was prepared to use force if necessary.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran could consider sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad, diluting the remainder and joining a regional enrichment consortium. In return, Iran is seeking recognition of its right to peaceful nuclear enrichment and the lifting of economic sanctions.
Takht-Ravanchi warned that any attack would trigger retaliation under Iran’s defence plans, calling a US strike “a real gamble”.
Previous indirect talks last year ended without agreement, largely over Washington’s demand that Iran halt uranium enrichment on its own soil, which the US views as a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently denied pursuing such weapons.
The US previously joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear sites last June, disrupting enrichment activities, though Iran is still believed to retain previously enriched stockpiles that Washington wants relinquished.
