What do Iran, US seek from upcoming new round of talks?

CAIRO -- An Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, has arrived in Geneva for a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, scheduled for Tuesday, with Oman serving as the mediator.

The US side is led by President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

What are the latest positions of Iran and the United States ahead of this round of talks? What are the root causes of the deadlock on the Iranian nuclear issue? Will the United States take military action against Iran?

Blatant divisions

The two sides held the first round of indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, on Feb 6, following the United States' bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, and agreed to continue negotiations. However, public statements indicate little progress on core disputes.

Washington has said that any deal with Iran must include a ban on uranium enrichment, the removal of its enriched material, limits on long-range missiles, and a rollback of support for regional proxies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed those demands, voicing skepticism about potential US-Iran deal.

Meanwhile, Tehran reiterates its willingness to reach a "fair and equitable deal" that would lift sanctions but insists on two red lines: preserving its right to peaceful nuclear energy and maintaining its missile capabilities.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and is "ready for any verification of that," while rejecting what he calls excessive demands and aggression.

Speaking to BBC on Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi signaled flexibility on nuclear limits in exchange for sanctions relief, but not on defense capabilities.

Roots of deadlock

The standoff traces back to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and world powers, which lifted sanctions in exchange for strict limits on Tehran's nuclear program.

That agreement began to unravel in 2018 when then-President Trump's administration unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions.

Iran responded by gradually scaling back its commitments, while pledging the relevant measures were "reversible." By 2021, it had begun enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, far above the JCPOA's 3.67 percent cap, while insisting its program is for peaceful use only.

After Trump returned to office in 2025 and revived a "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, five additional rounds of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran that year failed to bridge core differences.

Diplomacy collapsed entirely following Israel's surprise strikes on Iran in June and the ensuing "12-Day War," during which the United States targeted key Iranian nuclear facilities.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspection before the war, Iran possessed 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a level considered unacceptable by the United States and Israel.

Risk of military escalation

Since the start of this year, the United States has ramped up military pressure on Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has been deployed near Iran. On Friday, Trump confirmed a second group -- the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier -- would also head to the Middle East, a move a US official said would take at least a week.

If no agreement is reached during the talks, "we will need it," Trump stated, warning of consequences.

Tensions further escalated on Saturday when two anonymous US officials told media the military is preparing for a potential operation against Iran that could last "several weeks."

Other reports, citing sources, revealed on Sunday that Trump promised Netanyahu in December that he would back Israeli strikes on Iranian missile facilities should negotiations fail.

In response, Tehran has issued stark warnings, with officials vowing to retaliate forcefully against any attack, specifically targeting US military bases across the Middle East.

According to the Iranian military, its ballistic missiles have a range of up to 2,000 km, putting all regional US bases and all of Israel within reach. Military analysts note that during the "12-Day War," Iranian missiles repeatedly penetrated Israeli air defenses, and its drone swarms pose a significant threat to the US naval forces.

Demonstrating its resolve, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps began a "complex, targeted" live-fire exercise in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Monday. State media reported the drill aims to test combat readiness and contingency plans, leveraging Iran's geopolitical position to secure its interests.