Trump says he’ll be ‘indirectly’ involved as U.S., Iran resume high-stakes nuclear talks in Geneva
GENEVA — U.S. President Donald Trump said he will be “involved … indirectly” in talks set for today in Geneva aimed at containing Iran’s nuclear program, as Washington rushes additional military power to the Middle East and warns it is prepared for a sustained campaign if diplomacy fails.
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“I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He added he believes Tehran wants a deal. “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”
The remarks come as the United States deploys a second aircraft carrier to the region and elevates contingency planning, according to U.S. officials, underscoring the risk of escalation even as negotiators convene.
Trump’s message marked a shift from comments Friday in which he embraced potential regime change in Iran and lamented decades of fruitless diplomacy. He also revisited last June’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, suggesting Washington had little choice after talks stalled.
“We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s,” he said, referring to U.S. stealth bombers. Prior to those strikes, negotiations had bogged down over Washington’s demand that Tehran end uranium enrichment on its soil, which the U.S. views as a pathway to a bomb.
In Geneva on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi. Araghchi posted on X that he was in Switzerland to “achieve a fair and equitable deal,” adding, “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”
The IAEA has pressed Iran for months to account for what happened to roughly 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of highly enriched uranium following last year’s Israeli-U.S. strikes and to restore full inspections, including at three key sites bombed in June: Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
Tensions at sea added to the pressure. Iran held a military drill Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil flows. Tehran has repeatedly threatened to close the waterway in response to any attack, a move that would likely send crude prices sharply higher. Gulf Arab states have urged all parties to pursue diplomacy to defuse the crisis.
Major hurdles loom over the negotiating table. U.S. officials have sought to broaden the agenda beyond nuclear constraints to include Iran’s missile arsenal. Tehran says it will only discuss measures limiting its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, rejects a demand for zero enrichment and insists its missile program is off the table.
Speaking in Hungary on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned against overpromising. “I think that there’s an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement … but I don’t want to overstate it either,” Rubio said. “It’s going to be hard. It’s been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with Iran, because we’re dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones.”
With warships repositioning, inspectors pressing for access and oil markets on edge, negotiators arrive in Geneva under time pressure and with little margin for miscalculation. Whether Trump’s “indirect” involvement helps bridge the gaps—or hardens them—may determine if this round produces a breakthrough or sets the stage for a deeper confrontation.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
