Iran has reacted to a media report, which quoted its deputy foreign minister on how it is “ready to abandon" its nuclear programme only if the United States provides a “satisfactory alternative".
According to the state-run IRNA, this statement by deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi is related to “earlier talks with the US" on their nuclear deal.
The clarification comes amid the raging West Asia conflict, which entered its sixth day. Takht-Ravanchi’s comments on the nuclear programme which were reported by Sky News Arabia.
“Iran is ready to abandon its nuclear programme on condition that the United States presents a satisfactory alternative offer," Takht-Ravanchi was quoted.
Later, IRNA clarified that these comments were related to earlier talks with the US, which launched ‘Operation Epic Fury’ with Israel after backchannel talks via mediator Oman over a nuclear deal with Iran failed. The joint attack also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Tehran has said it entered negotiations with Washington DC despite doubts about American intentions, but was attacked before the set timeline.
The US, meanwhile, has said the ultimate goal of the current military engagement with Iran is a regional transition that ensures the West Asia region no longer poses a global security risk. It has said the Trump administration’s current stance was not an initial preference but a result of failed diplomatic overtures on Iran’s nuclear programme. It has also warned that if the Iranian regime achieves its weapons goals, it would be a global threat.
On February 17, at least 10 days before Israel and the US attacked Iran, President Donald Trump had warned Tehran of potential consequences should it fail to strike a deal during their talks in Geneva.
Mediated by Oman, the discussions were aimed at averting the possibility of US military action, with Tehran expressing cautious optimism at Washington’s “more realistic" position on its nuclear programme. By then, however, Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily, starting with the deadly crackdown on protesters in January and then, more recently, over its nuclear programme.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal," he had told reporters aboard Air Force One ahead of the talks, as reported by AFP.
Before that, another attempt at diplomacy had collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June 2025, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.
“A cautious assessment is that, from the discussions that have taken place in Muscat to date, at least what we have been told is that the US position on the Iranian nuclear issue has moved towards a more realistic one," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has said.
The talks in Geneva were to be centred around Iran’s position “regarding nuclear issues and sanctions relief", as well as Tehran’s “seriousness in using result-oriented diplomacy to secure the legitimate interests and rights of the Iranian people", as per a statement by its foreign ministry.
Amid the preparations for the talks in Geneva, Takht-Ravanchi had told the BBC that Iran will consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if the US lifted sanctions that have crippled his country’s economy.
“If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement," he had said.
