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US negotiators persuade Trump to give diplomacy one last chance
US negotiators are prepared to hold another round of talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday if Tehran submits a detailed nuclear deal proposal within the next 48 hours. Sources cited by Axios say this could be the final opportunity President Donald Trump is willing to give Iran before launching a major US-Israeli military operation, potentially targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei directly.
Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, plan to travel to Geneva on February 27 if Iran sends a proposal, urging the president to give diplomacy one more chance.
“If Iran provides a draft proposal, the US is ready to meet in Geneva on Friday to start detailed negotiations and see if a nuclear deal can be reached,” a US official said.
The discussions could include a temporary agreement ahead of a full nuclear deal. Witkoff and Kushner reportedly told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Trump’s position remains that Tehran should not possess enriched uranium, though Washington may consider a proposal allowing “symbolic enrichment” if it blocks all paths to nuclear weapons. Araghchi has said Iran will finalize its proposal over the weekend and deliver it once approved by the political leadership.
Senator Lindsey Graham noted concerns over potential large-scale military operations in the Middle East, saying advisers who urge restraint “seem to ignore the consequences of letting evil go unchecked.” Amid rising US threats and increased military presence, Khamenei has delegated de facto control of the state to Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to ensure the Islamic Republic survives both potential US-Israeli strikes and any targeted attacks on its leadership.
