WASHINGTON, Feb 20 – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi disclosed Friday that recent nuclear negotiations in Geneva did not involve American demands for a complete halt to uranium enrichment activities, while Tehran made no proposals to pause its enrichment operations.
During a Friday interview on MS NOW, Araqchi stated: “We have not offered any suspension and the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment.”
The Iranian diplomat explained that current discussions center on different objectives. “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever,” Araqchi remarked.
According to Araqchi, both nations are exploring technical and political “confidence building measures” designed to guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities. In return, some form of sanctions relief would be provided, though he declined to elaborate on specific details.
While Araqchi did not provide exact timelines for Iran’s response to U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he expressed optimism about reaching an agreement. He indicated that a diplomatic resolution could be accomplished “in a very short period of time” and anticipated presenting a draft proposal within the next two to three days, followed by additional discussions approximately one week later.
This diplomatic activity comes as tensions escalate following President Donald Trump’s Thursday ultimatum to Tehran. Trump established a 10-15 day timeframe for reaching an agreement, warning of “really bad things” if negotiations fail. This warning coincides with increased U.S. military presence in the Middle East, raising concerns about potential broader regional conflict.
