US and Iranian officials have begun indirect negotiations in Geneva to find a solution regarding Iran's nuclear program. Donald Trump believes an agreement will be reached because Iran wants to avoid the consequences.
On Tuesday, 17 Feb 2026 GMT+7, US and Iranian officials started indirect talks in Geneva to resolve the long-standing nuclear dispute, while Iran's Supreme Leader warned that US efforts to overthrow his government would fail.
Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated again over recent months. The US, allied with Israel, conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last June and has deployed warships to the Persian Gulf to pressure Iran. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump stated that regime change in Iran might be the best possible outcome.
Iran recently began military drills in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a key global oil shipping route. Iran has previously threatened to close this passage if the US attacks them.
According to Reuters, citing sources close to the talks, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are participating in the negotiations, with Oman acting as mediator alongside Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Trump told reporters earlier that he would be involved “indirectly” in the Geneva talks and believes Tehran wants to reach an agreement.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of no deal,” Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “We might have a deal instead of having to send B-2 bombers to destroy their nuclear capabilities, and we do need to send B-2s.”
Shortly after the talks began, Iranian media reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, declared Washington cannot overthrow his government. “The US president says their military is the strongest in the world, but sometimes the strongest army can be slapped hard enough to be unable to rise,” he said.
Iranian senior officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the success of the Geneva talks depends on the US not making unreasonable demands and on genuine efforts to lift economic sanctions severely impacting Iran.
However, Washington is trying to expand the talks to cover non-nuclear issues, such as Iran’s missile arsenal, while Tehran insists on discussing nuclear limitations only, refusing to halt uranium enrichment entirely or negotiate missile programs.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Budapest press conference that making a deal with Iran is difficult but the US is willing to try.
,cna