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Iran says it is open to agreeing with the US on a nuclear deal if the administration is willing to discuss lifting sanctions, a senior Iranian official said on Sunday.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, also said in an interview that the ball “is in America’s court to show that they want to make an agreement,” adding: “If they are sincere, I am sure that we will be on the way to an agreement.”
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues affecting our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.
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Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says that Iran is ready to compromise if the US talks about lifting sanctions. (SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)
Takht-Ravanchi’s comments came as the Iranian diplomat traveled to Geneva for the second round of indirect talks with the American delegation.
Abbas Araghchi headed to the Swiss city following the first round of talks last week with Oman and brokered the next round of talks, according to Iranian state media and the Associated Press.
US officials, however, have insisted that Iran – not the US – is holding back progress in the talks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on February 14 that President Donald Trump would like to reach an agreement but warned that it is “very difficult to do” one with Iran.
Previous diplomatic efforts collapsed in 2025 after Israel launched what turned out to be a 12-day war with Iran and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Natanz nuclear site in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies/AP)
But on Sunday, Takht-Ravanchi pointed to Tehran’s request to soften a stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity as evidence of its willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.
Asked whether Iran would send its stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium abroad, as it did under the 2015 deal, Takht-Ravanchi said it was “too early to say what will happen during the negotiations.”
Another thing Iran wants is for the talks to focus on the nuclear issue. “What we understand is that they have reached the conclusion that if you want to have an agreement, you must focus on the nuclear issue,” said Takht-Ravanchi.
Takht-Ravanchi also said that “the issue of self-enrichment is no longer an issue and as far as Iran is concerned, it is no longer on the table.”
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The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to move to the Middle East as the US prepares for possible continued operations against Iran. (Multiple Communications Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/US Navy via AP)
Trump has repeatedly threatened the military if a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program is not reached.
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The US has also stepped up its military presence in the region amid heightened unrest and after protests erupted across the country in December that left thousands reportedly dead at the hands of the clerical regime.
