Iranian FM arrives in Geneva for talks as US demands any nuclear deal last indefinitely

Times of Israel · Feb 25, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Geneva ahead of a third round of crucial negotiations with the US, as American envoy Steve Witkoff demanded that any deal over Tehran’s nuclear program remain in effect indefinitely. The talks over the nuclear program come as the US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with military action unless it agrees to a deal. Trump has amassed American forces in the Middle East, while Iran has pledged to strike Israel and US targets in response to an American attack. An Iranian plane carrying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Geneva on Wednesday evening, according to AFP, ahead of the talks due to take place Thursday. Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are leading the American delegation. There have been two rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran so far. The outcome of Thursday’s negotiations is expected to factor heavily in Trump’s decision on a strike. But gaps remain between the sides. The US has demanded that Iran cease all enrichment, while Iran has insisted on its right to continue. Iran has also resisted discussing its ballistic missile program or support for proxy terror groups in the region. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms In a speech at an AIPAC event in Washington, DC, this week, Witkoff reportedly told donors to the US pro-Israel lobby that Washington is currently focused on reaching a deal on the nuclear issue. According to Axios, he said the White House does not want any so-called “sunset clauses” in the deal, which would expire after a set period of time. “We start with the Iranians with the premise that there is no sunset provision. Whether we get a deal or not, our premise is: you have to behave for the rest of your lives,” Witkoff was quoted as saying. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivers a speech at a United Nations conference on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud / AFP) The previous nuclear agreement between Iran and the US, negotiated under then-president Barack Obama in 2015, included sunset clauses. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, and it expired in 2025. Witkoff reportedly added that the US hopes to deal with Iran’s missile program and its support for proxies down the road, with those talks hopefully involving more countries in the region. Polls show that most Americans oppose an attack on Iran, and in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump sought to build a case for a potential strike, accusing Iran of seeking to threaten the US with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. US Vice President JD Vance told Iran on Wednesday to take Washington’s threats of military action “seriously.” He told Fox News that while Trump is going to try to “accomplish it diplomatically,” the US president also has the “right” to use military action. “You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” Vance said. “The president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.” The US previously attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities at the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025, following several rounds of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Vance later told reporters that since those strikes, the US has seen evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program. “The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we’ve seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that.” Vance stressed that Trump wants to address Iran’s nuclear program “diplomatically, but of course the president has other options as well.” Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s president projected optimism about the current talks, saying he had a “favorable outlook for the negotiations.” But the same day, a new billboard in Tehran’s Palestine Square threatened Israel with an attack, the latest to do so. “A clear target: Trump’s 51st state,” the large placard declares. Burning buildings are seen in the background as a sign saying “Welcome to Israel” is spraypainted with “Welcome to Hell.” Another sign identifies the Jewish state as the “51st state of the United States of America.” ???? The new billboard placed in Palestine Square in Tehran: "The goal is clear – Trump's 51st state" – alongside the Israeli flag and the inscription "Welcome to hell"- is propaganda by the Iranian regime portraying Israel as a US extension, while trying to link it to Trump's… pic.twitter.com/klQDkX25ne — Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) February 25, 2026 Amid the bellicose talk, Dutch airline KLM said it would suspend flights between Amsterdam and Tel Aviv as of March 1. A company statement said the route was not “commercially or operationally feasible” at this time, without offering further details. Several countries have advised their citizens against traveling to Iran, or have evacuated diplomatic staff. The American military buildup, meanwhile, is continuing. The US has begun to move another 12 F-22 stealth fighter jets toward the Middle East, said analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data. According to flight tracking data and analysts, six F-22s took off from the US on Wednesday afternoon and linked up with their accompanying refueler planes as they set off to the Royal Air Force Lakenheath airbase in England. This followed another six F-22s that arrived at RAF Lakenheath earlier on Wednesday. On Tuesday, another 12 F-22s departed from RAF Lakenheath and headed to Israel. 11 of the stealth fighters were deployed to an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel, while one returned to the airbase in England due to a technical issue. The additional 12 F-22s, along with the one with the technical issue, are all expected to later head to Israel and be deployed at the same IAF airbase, eventually bringing the total number of American stealth fighters stationed in Israel to 24. The F-22, operated exclusively by the US Air Force, is the world’s most advanced air-superiority fighter, built for unmatched speed, maneuverability and stealth in air-to-air combat. Langley F-22s Cell 2 crossing underway #FreeIran — "Operation LION & SUN" — In a mirror of yesterday's movement of 6x F-22A "Raptor" jets, another 6 are airborne and linking up with tankers for the crossing to RAF Lakenheath. 3 tankers will take them part way, and then 2… pic.twitter.com/FFxwfzaojb — DefenceGeek ???????? (@DefenceGeek) February 25, 2026 Dozens of fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s and F-16s — have been spotted heading to the Middle East by the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity in recent days. The team says it’s also tracked dozens of accompanying fuel tankers, as well as hundreds of cargo flights, heading into the region since mid-February. In addition to th F-22 fighter jets, several American military cargo, refueler, and passenger planes landed at the same IAF base in southern Israel in the past day, as part of wider logistical support for the stealth fighters. IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar also visited the airbase on Wednesday, The Times of Israel learned. The US is also pressuring Iran economically. The US Treasury Department imposed new Iran-related sanctions on individuals, several entities and tankers, designating over 30 individuals, entities and vessels it says enable illicit Iranian petroleum sales and Iran’s ballistic missile and advanced conventional weapons production. The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also targeted multiple networks that enable Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics to secure materials and machinery required for ballistic missile and other weapons production, the Treasury said.