Iran\u2019s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on February 16 as Washington and Tehran prepared for a second round of nuclear talks this week, with Iranian officials signalling openness to an agreement that delivers tangible economic benefits.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic push comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> escalated his public demands for what any US-backed deal should include \u2014 and what it should not \u2014 warning that merely freezing uranium enrichment would be insufficient. Addressing the annual Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations on Sunday, Netanyahu said he raised his concerns directly with US President Donald Trump during a meeting last week.<\/p>\n Also Read | Iran, US nuclear talks: What’s on table? Iranian minister says\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n The riders by Netanyahu also lays bare a widening gap between Israel\u2019s maximalist position on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and Tehran\u2019s effort to frame negotiations as an economic opportunity for both sides, even as the US increases military assets in the region.<\/p>\n Geneva talks gather pace as Iran signals economic terms<\/p>\n Araghchi\u2019s arrival in Geneva<\/a> comes amid renewed negotiations with US that restarted earlier in 2026, aimed at preventing a fresh military confrontation and addressing the decades-long dispute over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/p>\n Iran, according to an Iranian diplomat quoted on Sunday, is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the United States that provides economic benefits for both sides \u2014 a formulation intended to increase the durability of any deal and to ensure that Washington sees quick returns.<\/p>\n Also Read | Netanyahu Says Iran Deal Has to Strip Away Nuclear Capabilities<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor the sake of an agreement’s durability, it is essential that the U.S. also benefits in areas with high and quick economic returns,\u201d Hamid Ghanbari, foreign ministry deputy director for economic diplomacy, was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.<\/p>\n Ghanbari said the discussions include \u201ccommon interests in the oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments, and even aircraft purchases\u201d, pointing to the breadth of Tehran\u2019s proposed incentives.<\/p>\n Netanyahu demands dismantling, not restraint<\/p>\n In Geneva, negotiators are expected to focus on nuclear constraints, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. But Netanyahu\u2019s remarks on Sunday suggested Israel is pressing for a deal structured around dismantlement \u2014 not limitation.<\/p>\n Speaking at the Jewish leaders\u2019 conference<\/a>, Netanyahu said he told Trump that any agreement must go beyond stopping enrichment and instead remove Iran\u2019s ability to enrich uranium altogether.<\/p>\n Also Read | \u2018Nothing definitive’: Trump after meeting Netanyahu; Iran talks to continue<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere shall be no enrichment capability – not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,\u201d Netanyahu was quoted by Reuters as saying.<\/p>\n The Israeli PM added that he remained sceptical about a deal, but insisted that, at minimum, enriched material must leave Iran.<\/p>\n “There shall be no enrichment capability – not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,”<\/p>\n Israel lays out conditions: enrichment, missiles and the \u201caxis of terror\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s public posture crystallised into a set of conditions he has argued should define any agreement with Tehran. Those include:<\/p>\n Enriched material outNo enrichment capabilityMissile range cappedRegular inspectionsDismantle \u2018axis of terror\u2019<\/p>\n Netanyahu also framed the debate in broader ideological terms, arguing that Jewish communities must respond to rising hostility, particularly in the United States.<\/p>\n \u2018Minorities \u2014 whether it\u2019s Blacks or gays or women \u2014 fought back\u2026 what we have to do as Jews\u2026 beginning with the United States, is to fight back\u2019<\/p>\n US boosts regional posture as diplomacy continues<\/p>\n The diplomatic track is unfolding under the shadow of intensified US military preparations. The Trump administration has dispatched a second aircraft carrier<\/a> to the region, according to US officials cited in a Reuters report, and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign should negotiations fail.<\/p>\n Also Read | Trump, Netanyahu agree that cut on oil exports may pressure Iran, says report<\/a><\/p>\n That posture has reinforced Tehran\u2019s sense of urgency, even as it adopts a more conciliatory tone in public statements. Iranian officials have described readiness for \u201ccompromises\u201d to revive a nuclear agreement \u2014 a marked shift in emphasis compared with earlier months.<\/p>\n Exiled Iranian crown prince calls for global demonstrations<\/p>\n The renewed diplomacy has also energised opposition voices outside Iran. Reza Pahlavi, Iran\u2019s exiled crown prince, called for massive demonstrations across major cities worldwide, particularly in response to what he described as a crackdown on protests driven by economic hardship.<\/p>\n