Tehran: US must drop its ‘excessive demands’

For diplomacy to succeed, the United States must forgo its “excessive demands,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday. “Success in [the diplomatic] path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands,” Iran’s top diplomat said in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, according to AFP.

After the latest round of indirect Iran-U.S. talks in Geneva on Thursday, Araghchi remarked that “further progress” has been made regarding his country’s nuclear program. Negotiations “concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal—including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps,” he said in a statement on X.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, whose country is mediating between Tehran and Washington, described the progress in talks as “significant,” adding that negotiations “on a technical level” will resume next week in Vienna. The Wall Street Journal reported that a wide gap still exists between the sides on key issues.

The report said that U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are insisting that Iran destroy its three main nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, place permanent restrictions on its nuclear program and deliver its remaining enriched uranium to the U.S. The Iranian delegation has reportedly rejected all demands. (Read More)