US-Iran talks to begin in Geneva on Tuesday, amid new strike threats

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday to prepare for Oman-brokered negotiations with Washington officials on Tehran's nuclear programme, in a last bid to prevent US strikes on the country.

Oman hosted the first round of indirect talks between the US and Iran earlier this month, with new negotiations set to take place this week in the Swiss city.

Iran's FM is also expected to meet Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi ahead of Tuesday's talks.

"The foreign minister has arrived in Geneva at the head of a diplomatic and expert delegation to take part in the second round of nuclear negotiation," Iran's state-run IRIB wrote on its Telegram channel.

Araghchi will hold talks with International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi on Monday "for deep technical discussions".

Iran is seeking to avert strikes on its nuclear infrastructure amid a huge US military build-up in the region, but also insists it will not be pressured into accepting an unacceptable deal.

"I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats," Araghchi said on X.

The US has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region, in what appears to be preparations for a major strike on Iran if nuclear talks fail.

Washington has also demanded that Tehran's ballistic missile programme and its support for regional proxies be on the table, something rejected by Iranian officials.

Iran insists that talks should be limited to the nuclear issue while ruling out some US demands on its programme, such as zero enrichment.

However, Iran also said it would be open to compromise if US sanctions were lifted, as the country sinks deeper into economic crisis.

The US has dispatched Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to Geneva, the former having led the American delegation at the Muscat talks.

US President Donald Trump is keeping up his 'maximum pressure' military strategy on Iran, last week ordering a second aircraft carrier to be sent to the region.

He said regime change in Tehran "would be the best thing that could happen" amid reports of new anti-government slogans chanted in Iran and opposition protests abroad.

It comes amid reports this week that Trump also allegedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear programme if nuclear talks failed.

This could include US refuelling and intelligence support, sources told CBS, while Washington would also have a considerable naval and aerial armada in the region to support with strikes of its own.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said that any deal between the US and Iran must involve the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran and Tehran's ability to produce more.

"There should be no enrichment capability... dismantle the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place," he said during a speech in Jerusalem.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to launch deadly attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, despite ceasefires in both countries.