Despite the threats, the Iranian Foreign Minister declared that Iran and the United States had reached an agreement understanding of “a set of guiding principles” which could pave the way for an agreement during negotiations in Switzerland.
Iran and the United States concluded this Tuesday, in Geneva, the second session of negotiations in a context that is still very tense, with the Iranian supreme leader warning that the North American aircraft carrier present in the Gulf could be sunk.
When the two delegations were at the residence in Oman, the country mediating the talks, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a virulent speechensuring that the America will never be able to destroy the Islamic Republic.
Faced with the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf, the 86-year-old leader toughened his tone.
“A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but a weapon capable of sinking it is even more dangerous,” he said.
The aircraft carrier – which carries around 80 aircraft – and escort ships are currently around 700 kilometers off the Iranian coast. A second, Gerald Ford, should join him, at a date still uncertain.
Ali Khamenei’s statement comes at a time when Revolution Guardsthe country’s ideological army, carry out military maneuverswith contours of a demonstration of force, in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic crossing point for the world oil trade.
For “safety” reasons, during these exercises, the strait will be partially closed for “a few hours”, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.
O Iran and the United States had resumed dialogue on the 6th of this month, in Muscat, capital of Oman, after an escalation of threats from both sides. This time, they met at the residence of the Omani ambassador in Cologny, a neighboring commune of Geneva, for around three and a half hours of text conversations, according to Iranian media.
Arriving in the morning, the North American delegation left the place at around 12:45 pm in Lisbon, followed shortly after by the Iranians, according to AFP. The delegations were led, on the one hand, by emissary Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and, on the other, by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Nothing was said about the negotiations held behind closed doors, but Iran had welcomed the previous talks in Muscat on Monday. In light of these first discussions, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, stressed on Monday, “it can be prudently concluded that the US position on the Iranian nuclear issue has become more realistic.”
This Tuesday, Baqaei recalled that, for Tehran, any agreement with Washington must be accompanied by a lifting of sanctionstwo “inseparable” elements.
US and Iran agree on “guiding principles” for agreement
The Iranian Foreign Minister declared this Tuesday that Iran and the United States have reached an agreement understanding of “a set of guiding principles” which could pave the way for an agreement during negotiations in Switzerland.
“We have reached a broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, on the basis of which we will move forward and begin working on a text of a potential agreement,” Abbas Araghci declared on Iranian state television, classifying the new negotiating session as “more constructive” than the one that took place on February 6 in Oman.
It was decided that the two parties “will continue their work on the drafting projects”, and then announced a date for a third session“, he added.
