
Iran has entered the talks “seriously, in good faith, and with a result-oriented approach,” Baghaei told IRNA on Monday, shortly before the Iranian delegation departed Tehran for Switzerland on Sunday evening.
He added that it remains to be seen how serious the other side is in advancing a “genuine diplomatic process.”
Baqaei also said that Iran's problem is the shifting positions and contradictory statements, not only from the negotiators, but also from other American officials.
"They are sending completely inconsistent signals and messages, none of which indicate seriousness,” he said, adding that Iran is negotiating “in an atmosphere of full mistrust and skepticism” and cannot afford to ignore its past experiences “even for a single moment.”
Iranian and American delegations, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, resumed nuclear talks in Muscat on February 6, months after Israel’s aggression in June 2025. The Omani foreign minister was shuttling between the sides, with the talks being held indirectly as before.
The second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States is being held in Geneva with the mediation of Oman’s foreign minister at the Omani mission. The negotiating table brings together Witkoff and Araghchi, following what both sides described as a constructive but preliminary first round in Muscat.
“In this round of negotiations, we will be present with a complete team — political, legal, economic and technical,” Baghaei said.
“All experts and representatives necessary to express views and make decisions on the various aspects of a potential understanding are in attendance.”
Referring to recent regional consultations, including visits by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani to Muscat and Doha, Baghaei said feedback from those exchanges has been assessed to gauge “the seriousness and good faith of the other side.”
The spokesman rejected media claims and social media speculation about US proposals, including temporary suspension or strict limits on uranium enrichment.
“The best description for such claims is ‘baseless,’” Baghaei said. “We are not going to discuss details in the media. Details are discussed inside the negotiation room.”
He reiterated that Iran, as a committed member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), enjoys the right under Article IV to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including enrichment.
“Our position is clear,” he said. “We participate in a negotiation in which Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment, is respected.”
Asked whether enrichment constitutes a non-negotiable red line, Baghaei replied, “As long as you are a member of the NPT, abandoning this right would render continued membership meaningless.”
Baghaei noted that recent military developments had altered the diplomatic environment, referring to attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities during previous negotiations.
“We were in the middle of a negotiation — with even the date for the sixth-round set — when we were subjected to military attack,” he said. “The blow dealt to diplomacy is irreparable.”
He stressed that Iranian negotiators must proceed with “extraordinary caution,” warning that shifting and contradictory messages from US officials undermine confidence.
Baghaei underscored the continued role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying Iran remains engaged with the agency under its safeguards obligations.
“The agency, as a technical body supervising implementation of the NPT and safeguards, can play a positive role,” he said.
Responding to suggestions that Iran might seek to buy time, Baghaei dismissed the accusation as “a big lie.”
“For us, time matters,” he said. “Our people are under pressure from unjust sanctions, and logic dictates that we remove them as soon as possible. There is no benefit for us in prolonging negotiations.”
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