Iran, US made 'good progress' in second round of nuclear talks

The US and Iran made "good progress" during a fresh round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme in Geneva on Tuesday, the foreign minister of mediator Oman said on social media.

"Today's indirect negotiations between The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in Geneva concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues," Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote on X.

The FM did note "much work is left to be done", but there was cause for optimism when Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Tuesday's talks as "more constructive" than the previous round in Muscat.

"Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a potential agreement," Araghchi told state TV.

He added that once both sides had prepared outlines for an agreement, "the drafts would be exchanged and a date for a third round (of talks) would be set".

While he acknowledged it "will take time to narrow" conflicting US-Iranian opinions, he hopes that Tuesday's talks had opened "a new window of opportunity" to find a lasting solution to tensions in the region.

"We are hopeful that negotiation will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution which can serve the interests of relevant parties and the broader region," he said.

He insisted that a viable agreement "must ensure the full recognition of Iran's legitimate rights to deliver tangible benefits, and be safeguarded against unilateral actions".

Tehran will develop a proposal over the next two weeks to work towards a long-term deal with the US, said the official, who declined to be identified.

"Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss," they said.

"The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions."

While talks ended on what seemed like a high note, Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington's red lines.

"In some ways, it went well; they agreed to meet afterwards," Vance said in an interview with Fox News.

"But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through," Vance told The Story with Martha MacCallum program.

"We're going to keep on working it. But of course, the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end."

"The president of the United States is very much trying to find a solution here, whether it's through diplomatic options or through another option, that means the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapon."

The Omani-mediated talks were aimed at averting the possibility of US military intervention to curb Iran's nuclear programme, while Tehran is demanding that Washington lift sanctions that are crippling its economy.

No date has been set for a third round of talks with the United States, as both sides will develop draft texts for a potential deal before setting a time, Iran said.

"No specific time has been set" for the third round, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV.

"It was agreed that both sides would work further on draft texts for a potential agreement, after which the drafts would be exchanged, and a date for a third round would be set."

Naval drills

Following the talks, Iran and Russia will conduct naval manoeuvres in the Sea of Oman on Thursday as the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, also launched exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a challenge to US naval forces deployed in the region.

"The joint naval exercise of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in the Sea of Oman and in the northern Indian Ocean," the ISNA agency reported, citing drill spokesman, Rear Admiral Hassan Maghsoudloo.

"The aim is to strengthen maritime security and to deepen relations between the navies of the two countries," he said, without specifying the duration of the drill.

Iran announced on Tuesday that it would partially close the Strait of Hormuz for a few hours for "security" reasons to conduct its own naval operations.

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, particularly during periods of tension with the United States, but it has never been closed.

US President Donald Trump has deployed a significant naval force in the region, which he has described as an "armada". 

Washington had ordered two aircraft carriers to the region as it piles on pressure. The first, the USS Abraham Lincoln, with nearly 80 aircraft, was positioned about 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, satellite images showed.

Its location puts at least a dozen US F-35s and F-18 fighter jets within striking distance. A second carrier was dispatched over the weekend.

"A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it," Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday.

Iran has insisted that the talks be limited to the nuclear issue; however, Washington has previously pushed for other topics to be discussed, including Tehran's ballistic missiles programme and support for armed groups in the region.

Previous talks between the two parties collapsed following the unprecedented Israeli strike on Iran in June 2025, which sparked a 12-day war that the United States briefly joined.