Tehran links nuclear flexibility to US sanctions relief
Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
Iran is prepared to compromise on its nuclear program if the United States engages on sanctions relief, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi revealed ahead of a second round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday.
In a BBC interview on Sunday, Takht-Ravanchi said the ball is “in America’s court,” describing the February 6 Oman-mediated talks in Muscat as “more or less” positive but too early to assess. He indicated Tehran could dilute its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% and address other nuclear-related issues if Washington is willing to discuss sanctions.
Iran’s 60% enriched uranium, near weapons-grade level, remains central to Western proliferation concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency has estimated the stockpile at about 440.9 kilograms. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is civilian.
The Geneva meeting builds on Muscat contacts, with Oman again facilitating. Iran insists negotiations remain confined to the nuclear file, rejecting demands for zero enrichment and refusing to discuss its ballistic missile program, while US President Donald Trump's administration is pressing for broader concessions, including halting enrichment and ending support for regional allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Houthis (Ansarallah), and armed groups in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the US military is preparing for possible sustained operations against Iran if Trump orders a strike. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region following Trump’s February 11 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he reaffirmed maximum economic pressure on Tehran. “Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough,” Trump told Axios.
Takht-Ravanchi criticized these “conflicting” US signals and warned American bases could become targets if Iran faces an existential threat.
Read more: US-Iran Muscat talks: A diplomatic opening shadowed by red lines
