Iran-US Talks: Araghchi’s Optimism Tempered by Hard Realities as Nuclear Path Clears Slightly

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi struck a tone of careful optimism on Tuesday after the second round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, describing the session as constructive and reporting agreement on guiding principles. But his optimism was tempered by an honest acknowledgment that significant gaps remained and that the path to a deal would be neither short nor easy.
The talks, facilitated by Oman and lasting about three and a half hours, covered the range of nuclear issues that have defined Iran-US diplomacy for years: enrichment, stockpile management, IAEA access, and verification. Iran offered to dilute its near-weapons-grade uranium and expand international inspection access — proposals Araghchi described as substantive contributions to the negotiating process.
The central unresolved issue was the US demand for a complete halt to domestic uranium enrichment. Araghchi made clear that Iran would not accept this under any circumstances, framing enrichment rights as a sovereign entitlement protected by international law and a domestic political consensus that no government in Iran could afford to ignore.
The two sides agreed to exchange draft texts and meet again in about two weeks — a procedural commitment that signals genuine engagement with the negotiating process. The text exchange would represent the most concrete step yet toward comparing actual written positions rather than general principles, and would set the stage for the harder work of finding compromise language.
Iran’s domestic situation cast a shadow over the diplomatic proceedings. As Araghchi spoke in Geneva, tens of thousands of Iranians were attending mourning ceremonies for protesters killed in recent unrest, and the judiciary was processing over 10,000 protest-related cases under conditions that raised serious human rights concerns. The foreign minister’s carefully calibrated optimism existed in sharp contrast to the grief and repression unfolding on Iran’s streets.