Closing summary
High-stakes talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme ended without a deal, as Donald Trump weighs military action on a scale that would signify the US’s largest intervention since its invasion of Iraq in 2003. The world remains on edge as Trump has yet to decide on whether he will start a war with Iran.
We haven’t heard from the US side, but Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said “good progress” was made on the nuclear issue and sanction relief, and said the two sides had begun to discuss “the elements of an agreement”. He described the talks as “one of our most intense and longest rounds of negotiations”, and confirmed that negotiations would reconvene at a technical level next week in Vienna. A reminder that on 19 February Trump issued a 10-15 day deadline for Tehran to reach a “meaningful deal” with Washington, which would bring us to next Friday, 6 March.
But despite the hopeful take from the Iranians and from the Omani mediators, there was no immediate evidence that the dial had shifted on the fundamental issues of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and the future of its highly enriched uranium stocks. A reminder that the US is demanding permanent Iranian guarantees on uranium enrichment and inspection mechanisms so that Tehran will never be able to build a nuclear weapon, a goal it has always denied.
Thank you for reading along. We’re pausing our live coverage now, and I’ll leave you with Patrick Wintour and Andrew Roth’s report.
Updated
As yet there has been no immediate comment from the Trump administration after the conclusion of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Geneva today. We’ll be sure to bring you any word from Donald Trump or US officials as we get it.
We have, however, heard from Iran, with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi telling reporters that “good progress” was made on the nuclear issue and sanction relief in this round of talks – but key differences remain. He described the talks as “one of our most intense and longest rounds of negotiations”, and said the two sides had begun to discuss “the elements of an agreement”.
Araghchi confirmed that further contacts would take place in less than a week. A reminder that on 19 February Trump issued a 10-15 day deadline for Tehran to reach a “meaningful deal” with Washington, which would bring us to next Friday, 6 March.
Here’s the full text of Araghchi’s statement:
Today I can say that one of our most serious and longest rounds of negotiations took place. The meeting lasted for about four hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.
These talks were held indirectly and with the mediation of the Omani foreign minister, and in some parts [IAEA chief Rafael] Grossi also conveyed the discussions between the two sides. His presence was useful from a technical point of view. The Omani foreign minister also played an active role, as in the past.
Overall, during these long and very intensive hours, good progress was made and we entered into a serious examination of the elements of an agreement; both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.
On some issues, understandings have come very close. Of course, there are still differences of opinion, which is natural, but compared to the past, both sides are more serious about reaching a negotiated solution.
It was agreed that, starting Monday, technical teams in Vienna and at the International Atomic Energy Agency will begin technical expert reviews to set some technical issues within a specific framework and then adapt them to the demands and political considerations of both sides.
It was also decided that the next round of negotiations will be held in the near future—probably in less than a week.
Updated
