Trump says he will be involved indirectly in Iran nuclear talks, warns of ‘consequences’

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - United States President Donald Trump said on Feb 16 that he would be involved “indirectly” in talks between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme
set to begin on Feb 17 in Geneva, adding he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal.

“I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Tensions are soaring ahead of the talks, with the US deploying a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East. The US military is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign if the talks do not succeed, US officials have told Reuters.

Asked about the prospects for a deal, Mr Trump said Iran sought tough negotiations but learnt the consequences of such a hardened stance last summer when the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.

Mr Trump suggested Iranians were motivated this time to negotiate.

“I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” Mr Trump said.

Washington pushes Tehran to forgo enrichment

Prior to the US strikes in June, US-Iran nuclear talks had stalled over Washington’s demand that Tehran forgo enrichment on its soil, which the US views as a pathway to an Iranian nuclear weapon.

“We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s,” Mr Trump said, referring to the bat-winged US stealth bombers that carried out the bombings.

“I hope they’re going to be more reasonable.”

The remarks contrast with those by the US President on Feb 13, when he embraced potential regime change in Iran and lamented decades of failed talks.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief on Feb 16, saying in a post on X he was in Geneva to “achieve a fair and equitable deal”.

“What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Mr Araqchi said.

Questions about uranium stockpile

The International Atomic Energy Agency has been calling on Iran for months to say what happened to its stockpile of 440kg of highly enriched uranium following Israeli-US strikes and let inspections fully resume, including in three key sites that were bombed in June 2025: Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against any attack, which would choke a fifth of global oil flows and send crude prices sharply higher.

Iran held a military drill on Feb 16 in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway and oil export route from Gulf Arab states, which have been appealing for diplomacy to end the dispute.

Despite Mr Trump’s comments about Iran seeking a deal, the talks face major potential stumbling blocks.

Washington has sought to expand the scope of talks to non-nuclear issues such as Iran’s missile stockpile.

Tehran says it is only willing to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief and will not accept zero uranium enrichment. It says its missile capabilities are off the table.

Speaking during a visit to Hungary on Feb 16, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a deal with Tehran would be hard.

“I think that there’s an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement... but I don’t want to overstate it either,” Mr Rubio said.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with Iran, because we’re dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones.”

Iran’s civil defence organisation on Feb 16 held a chemical defence drill in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone to strengthen preparedness for potential chemical incidents in the energy hub located in southern Iran. REUTERS