UN Nuclear Watchdog and Iran Hold Technical Talks Before US Negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with the head of the UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva, ahead of a second round of indirect negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program, Bloomberg reported on February 16.

Araghchi met International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to discuss “proposals” Iran plans to present at the next talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on February 17, according to Iranian state television.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “hopeful” the two sides could overcome years of hostility and eventually reach an agreement. “It’s been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with Iran because we’re dealing with radical clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones,” Rubio said, according to Bloomberg.

The talks come as US President Donald Trump has threatened military strikes unless Iran agrees to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Tensions remain high in the Persian Gulf, where Iran’s Revolutionary Guard conducted drills around the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Iranian media reported.

Ukraine had previously designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, adding that the European Union had “practically agreed” to take the same step and that “European procedures are currently underway.”

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Iran has described the first round of negotiations as a “good start,” insisting discussions remain limited to nuclear issues. The US and Israel, however, have argued that Iran’s missile program and support for regional militias should also be addressed.

Meanwhile, the IAEA continues to press Iran to restore full access for inspectors. Tehran has restricted monitoring of its uranium stockpile and delayed visits to sites damaged in recent strikes, including Fordow and Natanz, while Grossi has said the locations are safe enough to inspect and inspections are long overdue, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier, it was reported that Russia had secretly shipped nearly $2.5 billion in cash to Iran in 2018 to help sustain the Iranian regime after renewed US sanctions.

According to reports, a state-owned Russian bank, Promsvyazbank, delivered almost five tonnes of banknotes to Iran’s central bank in 34 bulk shipments over four months.

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