Iran FM heads to Geneva for talks with US as Israel calls complete removal of enriched uranium

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi headed to Switzerland on Sunday for the second round of renewed talks with the United States later this week, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any deal must require Iran to remove all enriched uranium and dismantle its ability to further enrich it.

Araghchi "left Tehran for Geneva late Sunday, heading a diplomatic and technical delegation to conduct the second round of nuclear talks and hold a number of diplomatic consultations," the ministry said in a statement. "Indirect Iran–US nuclear talks will be held on Tuesday with the mediation and good offices of Oman." During his visit to Geneva, Araghchi is expected to hold talks with his Swiss and Omani counterparts as well as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, and other international officials, the foreign ministry statement said.

Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations in Muscat on February 6, months after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June that started a 12-day war.

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran's stockpile of more than 400 kilogrammes of 60 per cent enriched uranium that was last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors in June.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that any deal between the two must involve the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran as well as Tehran's ability to enrich more.

"There should be no enrichment capability... dismantle the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place," he said during a speech in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister told the BBC that Tehran would consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if Washington lifts sanctions that have crippled the Islamic republic's economy.

"If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement," said Majid Takht-Ravanchi. The latest talks came with Washington having threatened Tehran with military action and deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region following Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last month.

On February 6, Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect nuclear talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's influential son-in-law Jared Kushner in Muscat.

Switzerland has played a key role in diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States for decades. It has represented US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations with Tehran after the 1980 hostage crisis, a year after the Iranian revolution.

Iranian deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Tehran was seeking a deal with the United States that would generate economic benefits for both countries, particularly in sectors such as aviation, mining and oil and gas, the Fars news agency reported.

"For the agreement to be viable, it is essential that the United States also be able to benefit from it in areas with strong and rapid economic return potential," he was quoted as saying.

Netanyahu says all enriched uranium 'has to leave Iran'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that any deal between the United States and Iran must involve the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran as well as Tehran's ability to enrich more.

At a speech in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said any agreement must include several elements."The first is that all enriched material has to leave Iran," he said.

"The second is that there should be no enrichment capability... dismantle the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place".

The third, he said, was resolving the issue of ballistic missiles.

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran's stockpile of more than 400 kilogrammes of 60-percent enriched uranium that was last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors in June, before Israeli and US strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

Addressing a conference of presidents of major American Jewish organisations, Netanyahu said he had insisted on these conditions even during his talk with US President Donald Trump earlier this month.

On Sunday, he also called for sustained inspections of Tehran's nuclear programme.

"There has to be real inspection, substantive inspections, no lead-time inspections, but effective inspections for all of the above," he said.

"These are the elements that we believe are important for the achievement of the deal." Tehran and Washington restarted nuclear negotiations in Muscat on February 6, months after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June that started a 12-day war.

The latest talks came with Washington having threatened Tehran with military action and deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region following Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last month.