Syed Zafar Mehdi
17 February 2026•Update: 17 February 2026
TEHRAN, Iran
A second round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva has entered the “technical phase,” Iranian media reported on Tuesday.
A reporter for the state broadcaster accompanying the Iranian delegation in Geneva said the second round of talks, which began earlier on Tuesday, is focused on the technical aspects of the negotiations, including legal and economic issues.
The Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, is accompanied by a team of nuclear, legal, and economic experts for this round of discussions, he said.
Writing on the US social media company X, Araghchi said he was joined by nuclear experts for “deep technical discussion” with UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi, who is also in Geneva.
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” he wrote.
The second round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, under Omani mediation, comes nearly two weeks after the first round was held in Muscat.
Both sides held separate meetings with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi at the Omani Embassy in Geneva before messages were exchanged between the two delegations.
While Araghchi heads the Iranian delegation, the US team is led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, who is also part of the delegation, told the state-run news agency IRNA that the Iranian side is “fully prepared and equipped in both the technical-nuclear and economic (sanctions relief) fields,” which he said demonstrates Iran’s “seriousness for a result-oriented dialogue.”
He confirmed to the state broadcaster that the talks have entered the technical phase in the areas of nuclear issues and sanctions relief.
Baghaei said the indirect talks between the two sides are likely to continue for another two hours.
