The United States and Iran are set to resume nuclear negotiations on Thursday in Geneva, a facilitator announced Sunday. This comes as the Islamic Republic faces both the prospect of a U.S. military strike and renewed domestic protests.
Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, confirmed these discussions. Oman has previously hosted talks on Iran’s nuclear program and facilitated the most recent round in Geneva last week.
There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration, which has amassed its largest military presence in the Middle East in decades, aiming to compel its long-standing adversary into concessions regarding its nuclear program and other issues.
Shortly before Oman’s announcement, Iran’s chief diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, told CBS in an interview that he anticipated meeting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday, indicating a “good chance” for a diplomatic resolution on the nuclear matter.
Washington is awaiting a proposed agreement that Araghchi stated would be ready to share within days, though the foreign minister informed CBS that Iran was still developing the draft proposal.
He added that the nuclear issue is the sole topic under discussion, despite both the United States and Israel also wishing to address Iran’s missile program and its support for armed proxy groups in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump warned on Friday that military options are possible, and both Iran and the U.S. have indicated they are prepared for various scenarios if the talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fail.
Minutes after Oman’s confirmation of the talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on social media that negotiations had involved “the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals,” but also noted that Tehran had “made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario.”
The U.S. has asserted that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons or the capability to build them, nor can it enrich uranium. Araghchi, however, told CBS that Iran maintains its right to enrich uranium.
On Friday, he claimed his U.S. counterparts had not demanded zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, a statement that contradicts public assertions by U.S. officials. He also said discussions focused on ensuring Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, “will remain peaceful forever.” He added that, in return, Iran would implement confidence-building measures in exchange for sanctions relief.
Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should exclusively focus on its nuclear program, and has refused to discuss broader U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.
Although Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is ultimately aimed at developing weapons. Iran states it has not been enriching uranium since the alleged strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.
At that time, Trump claimed the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage remains unknown due to a lack of independent verification.
Meanwhile, Araghchi asserted to CBS that “we have a very good capability of missiles, and now we are even in a better situation” than before the strikes in June.
Nuclear talks had been deadlocked for years following Trump’s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from the nuclear agreement with world powers.
Fresh Protests Erupt in Iran
Confirmation of new talks coincided with the emergence of new anti-government protests in various cities, according to witnesses, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in a government crackdown approximately six weeks ago.
Iran’s state news agency reported student protests at five universities in the capital, Tehran, and one in the city of Mashhad on Sunday. These scattered protests began Saturday at universities following 40-day mourning ceremonies for those killed in January during anti-government rallies.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show confrontations at two universities between government supporters and anti-government protesters, with some chanting “Death to dictator.”
Iran’s government has remained silent regarding these latest protests.
Many Iranians observed traditional 40-day mourning ceremonies over the past week. Activists tracking the situation believe most of the protesters were killed around January 8 and 9.
Iranians across the country are still grappling with grief, anger, and fear after the earlier protests were suppressed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands are believed to have been detained.
While the crackdown quelled the largest demonstrations, smaller protests persist, according to participants and videos shared on social media.
During the 1979 revolution that toppled the shah and established the Islamic Republic, 40-day memorials for slain protesters often escalated into rallies that security forces attempted to suppress, leading to new deaths. These new deaths, in turn, were commemorated 40 days later with fresh protests.
Social media posts from Saturday and Sunday claimed that security forces attempted to prevent people from attending certain 40-day ceremonies.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports at least 7,015 fatalities in the prior protests and crackdown, including 214 government personnel. This organization has a track record of accurately tallying deaths in past Iranian unrest, utilizing a network of local activists for verification.
The casualty count continues to climb as the group verifies information, despite communication disruptions with sources within the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s government provided its sole death toll from the earlier protests on January 21, stating 3,117 people died. Historically, Iran’s theocratic regime has either underreported or failed to report fatalities from previous periods of unrest.
The Associated Press has been unable to independently verify the death toll, as Iranian authorities have disrupted internet access and international phone services.