Shafaq News- Geneva 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Tuesday that indirect negotiations with the United States have entered the stage of preparing and drafting a potential agreement, following the conclusion of the second round of talks in Geneva.

In remarks to Iranian state television, Araghchi added that Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi was present in Geneva, where “good technical discussions” were held with him, revealing that a meeting was also held with the US delegation.

“The talks involved more serious discussions in full compared to the previous round,” Araghchi said, describing the atmosphere as more constructive. He also noted that various ideas were presented and seriously examined, “leading to general agreement on a set of guiding principles that will form the basis for the next phase and the drafting of a potential agreement.”

The Iranian foreign minister stressed that this “does not mean a rapid agreement will be reached,” but expressed hope that the process could be completed “as soon as possible,” affirming “Iran’s readiness to allocate sufficient time to the negotiations.

Araghchi said progress had been achieved compared to the previous round and that there is now a clearer path for the negotiations, which he described as positive.

Regarding next steps, he said the date for the next round has not yet been determined. The two sides agreed to prepare draft texts for a potential agreement and exchange them, after which a date for the third round will be set. “The work “becomes more complex and precise when entering the text-drafting stage.”

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi, who is mediating the talks, said the second round concluded with “concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues,” noting that "the spirit of our meetings was constructive."

Today’s indirect negotiations between The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in Geneva concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues. The spirit of our meetings was constructive. Together we made serious…

— Badr Albusaidi - بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) February 17, 2026

Axios quoted a senior White House official saying the talks proceeded “as expected,” clarifying, “Progress has been made, but many details still need to be addressed.” He also noted, “The Iranians said they will return within the next two weeks with detailed proposals to bridge some of the remaining gaps between our positions.”

The talks conducted through indirect message exchanges follow a February 6 round in Muscat that revived dialogue after months of suspension. The Geneva meeting also took place amid expanded US military deployments in the Middle East and President Donald Trump’s warnings that diplomacy must yield results.

Tehran insists the negotiations remain limited to the nuclear file and rejects discussions on its ballistic missile program. Washington, however, is pressing for more concessions, including halting uranium enrichment and ending support for regional allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis (Ansarallah), and armed groups in Iraq, demands that Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed.

Meanwhile, Axios also reported that more than 50 fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s, were deployed to the region within the past 24 hours.