Tensions in the Middle East
Iran: Negotiations with USA probably Thursday in Geneva
Updated February 22, 2026 – 8:53 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
With its increased presence in the Middle East, the USA has massively increased the pressure on Iran. The Iranian foreign minister is now confident about the negotiations with the USA.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has promised a further round of negotiations with the USA in a few days in the conflict over the country’s controversial nuclear program. “I assume that at our meeting again this Thursday in Geneva we will be able to work out a workable text and quickly come to an agreement,” Araghtschi told US broadcaster CBS News.
He expressed confidence that a better deal than the 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement was possible. There are elements that could go well beyond the previous agreement. Such an agreement could, among other things, guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and at the same time enable sanctions to be lifted, said the Iranian chief diplomat.
The USA and Israel have so far called on Iran to completely abandon its nuclear program and in particular to achieve zero uranium enrichment. However, Tehran is only willing to lower the current enrichment level of 60 percent to reaffirm that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that the country is not working on nuclear weapons – contrary to fears in the West. In return, Iran demands the lifting of Western sanctions.
If both sides fail to reach a compromise, there is a risk of military escalation. Given the ongoing unrest in Iran, such a conflict could also have domestic political consequences. Parts of the Iranian opposition even hope for a change of power.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview broadcast on Fox News on Saturday that US President Donald Trump was “curious” why Iran has not yet surrendered, even under the military pressure that the US has built up in the region with more presence. “I don’t want to say the word surrender, but why they haven’t surrendered.” Araghchi addressed this in a post on Platform X on Sunday evening and wrote: “Curious why we don’t surrender? Because we are IRANIANS.”
