Iran and the United States are preparing to resume negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme, with a second round of talks scheduled to take place in Geneva next week, according to an announcement by Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday. The discussions will be hosted by Oman, which previously acted as mediator during the first round of indirect negotiations held on February 6. While Swiss officials confirmed the location, they did not disclose the precise dates for the upcoming meeting.
The renewed diplomatic engagement follows a tense initial round of talks, after which US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, stating that failure to reach an agreement with his administration could result in “very traumatic” consequences. His remarks underscored the high stakes surrounding the negotiations and highlighted the continued pressure Washington is placing on Tehran to accept limits on its nuclear activities.
Trump has repeatedly threatened the use of military force as leverage in negotiations, emphasizing that the United States would not permit Iran to continue expanding its nuclear programme unchecked. Iranian officials have responded by warning that any military action against their country would be met with retaliatory strikes, raising concerns about the potential for rapid escalation. The US president has also linked his hardline stance toward Iran to the government’s handling of recent nationwide protests, further complicating diplomatic efforts.
In a move that intensified regional tensions, Trump announced on Friday that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, would be redeployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East as part of a broader US military buildup. The deployment adds to existing American forces already positioned across the region and signals Washington’s readiness to maintain both diplomatic and military pressure simultaneously. During the same remarks, Trump suggested that a change in Iran’s leadership could ultimately be beneficial, adding another layer of political sensitivity to the ongoing negotiations.
The current talks come after similar diplomatic efforts last year collapsed in June, when Israel launched a 12-day conflict with Iran that disrupted negotiations. During that period, the United States also carried out strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, further deepening mistrust between the two sides and halting progress toward an agreement.
A major point of disagreement continues to be uranium enrichment. The Trump administration has insisted that any future deal must completely prohibit Iran from enriching uranium, arguing that such activities could eventually enable weapons development. Tehran has firmly rejected this demand, maintaining that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful and civilian purposes and asserting its right to enrichment under international agreements.
Regional governments, particularly in Gulf Arab states, have expressed growing concern over the possibility of military confrontation. Officials in the region have warned that any strike on Iran could quickly spiral into a wider conflict involving multiple countries, threatening stability across the Middle East and disrupting global energy markets.
As negotiations resume in Geneva, both sides face mounting pressure to achieve progress while managing escalating rhetoric and military posturing. The upcoming talks are widely viewed as a critical opportunity to revive diplomacy and prevent further escalation in one of the world’s most sensitive geopolitical disputes.
