US and Iran resume nuclear negotiations; Trump says he will be involved in negotiations, and Tehran asks for realistic demands

Ali Khamenei and Donald Trump Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via AP; AP Photo/Evan Vucci The United States and Iran resumed nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, this Tuesday (17). The meeting, mediated by Oman, began at around 6 am Brasília time. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp On the North American side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will participate in the negotiations, according to the Reuters news agency. On the Iranian side, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. This is the second meeting between US negotiators and Iran to negotiate limitations on the Iranian nuclear program amid an escalation of tensions and military led by US President Donald Trump, who threatens to attack the Middle Eastern country if negotiations fail (read more below). The first meeting, in Oman at the beginning of the month, had a “very positive atmosphere” and the countries resumed negotiations after internal consultations. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that the key to the success of the negotiations will be “the US’s seriousness in lifting sanctions and avoiding unrealistic demands.” At the same time, the official said that Iran comes to the talks with “genuine and constructive” proposals. See the videos that are trending on g1 The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Monday that he would be involved “indirectly” in the talks in Geneva and that he believes that Tehran wants to close a deal, and threatened Iran again if there is no agreement. “I will be indirectly involved in the negotiations, let’s see what happens. I think they are bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s to destroy their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” he concluded. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Tuesday that Trump will not be able to depose his regime and threatened to shoot down the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is parked in the waters of the Arabian Sea within range of a possible attack on Iran. Nuclear negotiation and military tension Protesters in favor of the crown prince of Iran, in Munich. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP The negotiations are treated with caution because the US and Iran still have major differences between them: while Washington demands that Tehran end its nuclear and missile programs and stop supporting armed groups in the region, the Khamenei regime claims that it will only negotiate its nuclear program. Iran’s top nuclear authority said this week that the country is willing to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium in exchange for the end of sanctions imposed on the country. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has around 440 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, close to the level of a nuclear bomb. Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said last week that the country is willing to “inspect” the IAEA to show that its nuclear program is peaceful, but said it will not give in to “excessive demands” from the United States. US President Donald Trump alternates between indicating hope for a nuclear deal and direct threats to the Khamenei regime. Last week, Trump threatened to take “very harsh measures” against Iran if negotiations fail and sent the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to reinforce the military siege of the Middle Eastern country — which already has the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group positioned in the region. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Monday that it would hold new military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, raising tensions with US troops stationed in the region.

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