- Washington-Tehran indirect discussions aimed at averting crisis
- White House reviews regional US troop deployment, set by mid-Mar.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet Netanyahu on Feb 28 over Iran.
Iran is expected to submit a formal proposal outlining steps to ease tensions with the United States, following indirect talks in Geneva on Tuesday, a senior US official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The discussions, involving US envoys and Iran’s top diplomat, aimed to prevent the standoff from escalating further.
Top US national security advisers met in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday to discuss Iran and were told all US military forces deployed to the region should be in place by mid-March, the official said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss Iran on February 28, the official said.
Tuesday’s indirect discussions in Geneva between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, were aimed at heading off a mounting crisis between the two countries.
The United States wants Iran to give up its nuclear programme, and Iran has adamantly refused and denied that it is trying to develop an atomic weapon.
Iran agreed to make a written proposal on how to address US concerns during the Geneva talks, the senior US official said.
“We are currently waiting for that from the Iranians,” the official said.
The US has sought to expand the scope of talks to non-nuclear issues such as Iran’s missile stockpile. Iran says it is willing only to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme, in exchange for sanctions relief, and that it will not give up uranium enrichment completely or discuss its missile programme.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that some progress was made in Geneva but that “we’re still very apart on some issues.”
Trump has ordered a major military buildup in the region as he contemplates the use of force with a second aircraft carrier group en route.
“The president has ordered the continued buildup in the region, including the arrival of the second carrier group. Full forces should be in place by mid-March,” the senior US official said.
