Iran has declared its readiness to consider compromises in pursuit of a nuclear agreement with the United States, provided Washington is prepared to discuss lifting crippling economic sanctions. The announcement comes amid heightened tensions, with the US increasing its military presence in the region and President Donald Trump threatening strikes if no deal is reached.
According to a report by the BBC, Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi stated in an exclusive interview in Tehran that "the ball is in America's court to prove that they want to do a deal." He added, "If they are sincere, I'm sure we will be on the road to an agreement." His comments directly counter repeated assertions by US officials that Iran is the party obstructing progress in negotiations.
Takht-Ravanchi pointed to Tehran's offer to dilute its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium—near weapons-grade level—as a concrete sign of goodwill. However, he declined to specify whether Iran would demand the lifting of all or only some sanctions. When asked whether Iran would agree to ship its more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium out of the country, as it did under the 2015 nuclear deal, he said it was "too early to say."
A second round of indirect talks is confirmed for Tuesday in Geneva, following earlier discussions held through the Gulf state of Oman in February. Takht-Ravanchi described those initial talks as moving in "more or less a positive direction" but cautioned it was premature to draw conclusions.
Significantly, the Iranian negotiator indicated that Washington appeared to have abandoned its earlier demand for zero enrichment—a position Tehran has long considered a red line. "The issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore," he said, though this appears to contradict President Trump's recent statement that "we don't want any enrichment."
Iran firmly ruled out discussing its ballistic missile programme, a key demand of both Israel and the United States. "Our missiles came to our rescue, so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities," Takht-Ravanchi said.
He also expressed concern over Trump's conflicting messages, noting that while private communications through Omani mediators suggest Washington seeks a peaceful resolution, the president's public remarks have at times focused on regime change. Tehran further warned against military escalation, with Takht-Ravanchi cautioning that any aggression would be met with a proportional response and that "the whole region will be in a mess."
Despite lingering scepticism from many observers, the presence of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the most recent talks has been interpreted by Iran as a positive signal of deeper American engagement. Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that Iran would head to Geneva with cautious hope.
"We will do our best, but the other side also has to prove that they are also sincere," he concluded.