Agreement on guiding principles reached with U.S.: Araghchi

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) that a general agreement on guiding principles for future talks has been reached in the second round of discussions with the U.S. in Geneva.

The talks were “serious and more constructive” than the previous round, Mr. Araghchi told reporters in Geneva, adding that various proposals were presented and examined, reported the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

In the first round, Mr. Araghchi had met Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy, and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, in Muscat on February 6 amid high tensions in West Asia, where the U.S. has deployed fighter jets, warships and an aircraft carrier. Tuesday’s (February 17) talks were mediated by Oman in the Swiss city.

“Finally, we were able to reach an agreement on a set of guiding principles based on which we will move forward and discuss the text of a potential deal,” said Mr. Araghchi. He, however, added that reaching a final agreement may not be immediate, noting that technical work on the text would be complex.

“The parties agreed to work on the texts of a potential agreement and exchange them before agreeing on the date of the next round of talks,” he added.

The Iranian delegation comprised Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for Economic Diplomacy, Hamid Ghanbari, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the talks, also said talks concluded with “good progress”. “Today’s indirect negotiations between Iran and the U.S. in Geneva concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues. The spirit of our meetings was constructive,” Mr. Albusaidi wrote in a social media post.

“Together, we made serious efforts to define a number of guiding principles for a final deal. The contribution of the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was much appreciated. Much work is yet to be done, and the parties are left with clear next steps before the next meeting,” he added.

Mr. Araghchi had met IAEA chief Rafael Grossi for “in-depth technical talks” on Monday (February 16). On Tuesday morning (February 17), U.S. officials also held talks with Mr. Grossi.

While talks were held in Geneva, the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held live-fire drills in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday (February 17), in a series of social media posts, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei criticised Mr. Trump’s Iran policy and reiterated Iran’s “right” for nuclear enrichment. “The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea,” he said. “Peaceful nuclear industry is not for war; it is for running the country—for agriculture, for treatment and healthcare, and for everything that depends on energy. This is among the nation’s rights. What does it have to do with you Americans?” he added, reiterating the Iranian position that as a signatory of the NPT, Tehran possesses the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.