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3. U.S. and Iran Set to Hold Talks in Geneva on Thursday Amid Mounting Tensions

U.S. and Iranian officials are set to hold another round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva while President Donald Trump continues to deliberate on striking Iran.

Iran is expected to provide a comprehensive plan for U.S. officials to review ahead of the talks as gaps persist over the status of Iranian enrichment capacity. 

Trump has maintained a “zero-enrichment” position regarding Iranian uranium, but may be willing to settle for an option for minimal enrichment if Iran can commit to permanently blocking pathways to a nuclear weapon. 

The talks in Geneva will be mediated by Oman, and the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi is likely to take part in discussions. The U.S. representatives will include special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will represent the Iranian side.

Preparation for the upcoming dialogue is occurring amid continued escalatory rhetoric and posturing between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S.S. Gerald Ford, the second aircraft carrier repositioned to the region, arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Trump has publicly weighed the option of strikes in Iran.

“I am considering it,” Trump said when asked on Friday about the possibility of limited U.S. strikes in Iran. 

Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson to the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry, has stated that any attack from the U.S. would be seen as an “act of aggression.”

U.S. officials have also assessed that Iran may utilize its proxy network in the event of an outbreak of conflict, with Hezbollah and Houthi networks possibly joining in on a regional war. 

Hezbollah has undertaken military meetings under IRGC supervision to oversee the organization’s preparedness, signaling a possible coordination of responses to regional tensions.

Israeli officials have also expressed doubts about the viability of nuclear talks and continue to categorize the ballistic missile and proxy network issues as existential concerns as the U.S. engages in diplomatic talks focused on the nuclear issue.