Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi departed Tehran on Sunday, leading a high-level delegation to Switzerland for the second round of renewed nuclear negotiations with the United States, according to AFP.
In a statement, the ministry said that Araqchi “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.”
Tehran and Washington will resume indirect nuclear negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva, with Oman plating a pivotal role as a mediator.
During his Geneva visit, Araqchi will meet with his Swiss and Omani counterparts, along with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi and other senior international officials.
On February 6, the US and Iran revived nuclear negotiations in Muscat, months after earlier talks collapsed when Israel suddenly launched a bombing campaign against Iran last June.
The latest round of talks unfolded as Washington threatened Tehran with military action and dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the region, following Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last month.
Deteriorated Relations
The relations between Iran and Washington have seen sharp escalation after Iran’s violent suppression of anti-government protests earlier in January.
In January, Khamenei charged Trump with bearing responsibility for the “casualties” that accompanied a wave of protests across the Islamic Republic, according to AFP.
The Supreme Leaders noted that “this was an American conspiracy,” adding that “America’s goal is to swallow Iran… the goal is to put Iran back under military, political, and economic domination.”
Washington also announced sanctions against Iranian security officials and financial networks, accusing them of driving a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations while laundering billions in oil revenues.
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