A decisive US-Iranian meeting in Geneva on Thursday amid rising tensions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Tehran’s adherence to the diplomatic track with Washington and its readiness for a possible meeting in Geneva on Thursday, stressing the readiness of the armed forces to respond to any attack, while a press report said that Iran had concluded a secret arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of shoulder-mounted missiles.
The New York Times reported, just before midnight on Sunday night, that US President Donald Trump has told his advisers that he is inclined to carry out an initial strike on Iran, to push it to abandon the development of a nuclear weapon.
It added that the US president told his advisers that he would keep the door open for a later military attack this year, aimed at toppling Khamenei.
The Axios website, quoting a US official, reported that nuclear talks with Iran are scheduled for Thursday.
The Omani foreign minister also said that a round of negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held next Thursday in Geneva.
According to other press reports, Iran is about to hand over a new proposal to the United States on Sunday or Monday.
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, is expected to arrive in Muscat on Tuesday, bringing Tehran’s response on the Iranian nuclear issue.
In this context, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied the authenticity of media reports that spoke of an interim agreement with the United States, describing them as baseless.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, pointed out that the talks scheduled for next Thursday between Tehran and Washington represent a real test for US President Donald Trump, and that their results will be decisive for the path of confrontation or calm between the two sides, and in which the fate of US forces in the region is linked to the outcome of these negotiations.
It was reported on Sunday, that Trump administration’s decision is to hold another round of indirect talks with Iran, which is the third of its kind, as this round is a real last chance, after two rounds that did not yield results.
Trump accepted his envoy Steve Witkoff’s offer to give diplomacy another chance, despite Witkoff’s own admission that Iran isn’t ready to surrender, even with the enormous military power that the Americans have amassed in the Middle East.
According to sources in Israel, Witkoff’s approach is worrisome, showing weakness and concession, which they claim will not lead to Iran’s capitulation.
In the same regard, the report quoted an Israeli diplomat as saying that there is dissatisfaction in diplomatic circles in Israel with Witkoff’s behavior, which allows the Iranians to buy time, noting that there is an understanding in Tel Aviv that this buying time will also lead to another postponement of the US decision on choosing the course of the attack on Iran, at least until next week.
However, this understanding is being taken with caution, in light of the coordination between Israel and the United States, and the fact that there is always the possibility of “American deception” as was the case before Israel’s war on Iran.
Talks between Iranian Foreign Minister and Witkoff were scheduled to take place, but Israel launched an offensive before those planned talks.
