‘Iranians know what they have to do’ to avoid escalation, US ambassador to Israel says

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran said indirect talks between Iran and the United States would resume shortly in Geneva under Omani mediation.

The foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is expected to join the third round of negotiations, as he did in the previous round.

“Our delegation has come to this round fully prepared,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran is participating “with full seriousness to secure our national interests.” The talks are focused on nuclear issues, including sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear rights, which Tehran has conveyed to the Omani side, the spokesperson said, adding that discussions between the US and Oman began earlier in the day.

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Geneva to discuss technical issues related to Iran’s nuclear file, Oman’s foreign ministry said.

Albusaidi stressed the importance of the IAEA’s professional and technical role in ensuring transparency and credibility in nuclear oversight, it added.

Iran would not develop nuclear weapons because Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has banned them, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday, adding that “the religious leader of a society cannot lie like politicians.”

“When he announces that we will not have a nuclear weapon, it means we won’t have it,” Pezeshkian said ahead of a third round of nuclear talks with the US, which has continued to accuse Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapon.

Khamenei issued a fatwa, an Islamic religious decree, banning the development of nuclear weapons in the early 2000s.

Badr Albusaidi met Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Wednesday evening ahead of indirect talks between Iran and the United States, Oman’s foreign ministry said.

The two ministers reviewed recent developments and discussed proposals Iran plans to present in a bid to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, based on guiding principles agreed in the previous round, the foreign ministry said.

Albusaidi is expected to meet the US negotiating team on Thursday to convey Iran’s views and hear the American side’s ideas, the foreign ministry said, adding that Oman remains committed to facilitating dialogue to reach a sustainable solution.

Democrat Representative Greg Landsman of Ohio said on Wednesday that the United States and its allies may need to carry out targeted strikes on Iranian assets, according to Jewish Insider.

“If targeted, defensive strikes are necessary, and these strikes are successful, the prospect of war and further violence is diminished. That’s what we should all want: an end to decades of bloodshed and mayhem by this regime. We should continue to work to weaken the regime’s ability to do harm,” Landsman said.

Landsman highlighted defensive action against ballistic missiles, rocket infrastructure, weapons depots, and nuclear facilities as potentially necessary to protect lives.