US, Iranian officials meet for high-stakes, third round of nuclear talks, amid threat of air strikes

U.S. and Iranian officials are meeting Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, for a third round of nuclear talks in an effort to reach a deal and avoid military conflict.U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an effort to get Iran to agree to halt its enrichment of uranium and curtail its production of long-range missiles, NewsNation reported.
The talks come after the Trump administration implemented a new wave of sanctions targeting individuals and companies accused of enabling Iran’s ballistic missile program, drone production, and illicit oil sales.
Trump has said that military strikes on Iran are possible if no nuclear deal is reached.
“Iran poses a very great threat to the United States and has for a very long time,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. “After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it, and here they are.
“You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”
Araghchi posted on X on Tuesday, “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.”
He also said; “A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”
Amid the talks, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, left a base in Greece on Thursday morning en route to the Middle East.
Iran has warned that American military bases could become targets if the U.S. strikes.

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