Nuclear Negotiations Gain Momentum as Iran Opens Door to Compromise With Sanctions Relief Conditions

Iran is signalling fresh openness to negotiate the nuclear programme with the US, but only if sanctions ease, as both sides prepare for a new round of Geneva talks under the shadow of military threats, regional anxiety and warnings from Washington that patience is running out over the long dispute.

Tehran is presenting an offer to dilute its stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium as evidence of flexibility, arguing this step could support a wider understanding with Washington, though Iranian officials insist any movement on the nuclear file must be matched by credible progress on lifting sanctions that have hit the economy.

Regional tensions around Iran nuclear programme talks

Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the initiative now lies with Washington, saying the ball was "in America's court to prove that they want to do a deal". "If they are sincere, I'm sure we will be on the road to an agreement," Takht-Ravanchi added during the interview.

Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran would discuss limits on the Iran nuclear programme if sanctions relief forms part of the package, while US officials continue to argue that Iran is slowing progress, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Saturday that President Donald Trump still prefers a negotiated deal but finds it "very hard to do" with Iran.

War warnings tied to Iran nuclear programme talks

Donald Trump has warned that US military strikes remain an option if no agreement is reached to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, and Washington has been strengthening its military presence across the region, adding pressure to negotiations that diplomats say are already strained by mistrust and previous breakdowns.

Takht-Ravanchi questioned this military build-up and warned that a new conflict would be catastrophic, saying a war would be "traumatic, bad for everybody everybody will suffer, particularly those who have initiated this aggression". Takht-Ravanchi also stressed that if Iran senses an "existential threat", the response would match the scale of the perceived danger.

Core disputes inside Iran nuclear programme talks

One of the central sticking points is uranium enrichment. Washington has in the past demanded that Iran halt enrichment completely, while Takht-Ravanchi made clear this demand is no longer acceptable, stating the "issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table anymore".

That statement conflicts with Trump's recent comment that "we don't want any enrichment", underlining the gap between both sides, as Iran argues a complete halt would breach rights under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, while Western governments fear that higher enrichment levels bring Iran closer to developing a nuclear weapon, an accusation Iran repeatedly denies.

Tehran has more than 400 kg of highly enriched uranium, including material enriched to 60 per cent, which is close to weapons-grade and has deepened global concern, but Takht-Ravanchi said "We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our programme if they are ready to talk about sanctions," while declining to clarify whether Iran demands total or partial sanctions lifting.

Asked if Iran would again ship out its stockpile, as under the 2015 nuclear agreement, Takht-Ravanchi replied that it was "too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations", though Russia, which previously accepted 11,000 kg of low-enriched uranium under that accord, has already indicated willingness to take the material again if required.

The missile programme is another sensitive point surrounding the Iran nuclear programme talks, with Tehran insisting it will not accept negotiations on ballistic missiles, despite calls from Israel and US officials, including Rubio, to broaden any future deal, as Takht-Ravanchi argued that missiles played a defensive role when Iran was attacked.

"When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities," Takht-Ravanchi said, warning that regional US bases would be legitimate targets in any conflict and noting that more than 40,000 US soldiers deployed nearby would face a "different game" if war erupts.

The current talks follow indirect meetings between the US and Iran in Oman earlier in February, which Takht-Ravanchi described as "more or less in a positive direction but it is too early to judge", a view echoed by Trump, and a second round is now scheduled for Geneva on Tuesday with expectations set deliberately low.

Oman's foreign minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, is carrying messages between capitals, and Takht-Ravanchi said that, despite Trump's previous comments about regime change, such language is absent from private exchanges, explaining, "We are hearing that they are interested in negotiations" and that Washington signals interest in resolving matters peacefully through Omani channels.

Regional governments such as Qatar are engaged in intense diplomacy around the Iran nuclear programme talks, with Takht-Ravanchi claiming there is "an almost unanimous agreement in the region against war", while Iran accuses Israel of trying to derail the process, citing last June's surprise attack that triggered a 12-day conflict just days before a planned Oman negotiating round.

Iranian officials have also voiced irritation over what they describe as shifting US positions between sessions, feeding scepticism about the chances of a durable breakthrough, yet Takht-Ravanchi insisted Iran will travel to Geneva with some optimism, saying, "We will do our best but the other side also has to prove that they are also sincere," highlighting fragile trust on both sides.