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U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Geneva on Tuesday, Feb. 17, for a second round of nuclear talks aimed at preventing war, according to a U.S. official and three sources with knowledge of the matter speaking to journalist Barak David.
The diplomatic push coincides with a significant U.S. military expansion in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region while maintaining that he prefers a diplomatic resolution with Tehran.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump told Axios on Tuesday.
"The U.S. delegation will include senior adviser Jared Kushner and White House envoy Steve Witkoff," the sources said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to lead the delegation for Tehran.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi will participate as a mediator. Earlier this week, Witkoff relayed several messages regarding the nuclear negotiations to al-Busaidi to be delivered to the Iranian leadership.
The Omani foreign minister drafted a document based on those discussions and presented it to Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, during a visit to Muscat on Tuesday.
Larijani later confirmed receiving the U.S. messages during an interview on Iranian state television.
Trump told reporters Friday that any potential nuclear agreement must require zero uranium enrichment within Iran.
While he noted that Iranian officials have expressed interest in negotiations, he said they have not yet demonstrated a willingness to take concrete action regarding their nuclear program.
When asked if he supports regime change in Iran, Trump said it "seems like that would be the best thing that could happen."
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declined to comment on the upcoming talks.
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