The US and Iran will meet in Geneva on Thursday for the third round of nuclear talks this month, amid a growing US military build-up in the Middle East and repeated statements by Donald Trump that he will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
US-Iranian nuclear negotiations
Thursday’s talks in Geneva are expected to include US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, according to a Reuters report citing a US official.
Meanwhile, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will return to his shoes as a mediator.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will also meet with both delegations in the Swiss city.
Trump’s case for military action
US President Trump laid out his case for a military attack on Iran a day ago in the longest State of the Union address and reiterated that he will not allow Tehran to possess nuclear weapons.
“We wiped it out and they want to start over. And right now they’re pursuing their sinister ambitions again,” Trump said in his speech, adding: “We’re in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard the secret words: ‘We’ll never have a nuclear weapon.'”
While the US president said his “preference” was to “solve this problem through diplomacy”, he added: “One thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s comments were echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who told Fox News on Wednesday: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That would be the ultimate military goal if (Trump) chose that path.”
Earlier on February 19, Trump warned that “really bad things” would happen if Iran did not strike a deal within 10-15 days.
The largest US military since 2003
Thursday’s talks between Washington and Tehran come amid a massive US military build-up in the Middle East, its largest military deployment in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Since the end of January, an aircraft carrier strike group centered around the USS Abraham Lincoln has been stationed in the region, and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf.
Trump has already attacked Iran once in his second term, striking three nuclear facilities last June, and fears are growing of current tensions escalating into regional conflict.
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