Iran-US Talks To Begin in Geneva

An Iranian delegation led by top diplomats has left for Geneva on Wednesday for talks with the United States. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed optimism about reaching an agreement to avoid new conflict.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of strikes if Iran does not make a deal on its nuclear program. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he accused Tehran of pursuing "sinister nuclear ambitions" and announced a large military deployment in the Gulf.

Despite these warnings, Pezeshkian said he had a "favourable outlook for the negotiations." He added that Iran is working under the guidance of its supreme leader to move past the current "neither war nor peace" situation.

Trump claimed that Iran already has missiles capable of threatening Europe and US bases overseas, and is developing missiles that could reach the United States. He also reiterated concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed these claims as "simply the repetition of 'big lies'." Publicly, Iran’s missiles have a maximum range of 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles), though US estimates suggest they may reach up to 3,000 kilometres—still far from the continental US.