US-Iran Geneva Talks End Without Deal

The latest round of U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy ended on Thursday in Switzerland without a formal agreement, yet with both sides signaling incremental movement. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the indirect exchange, described “significant progress” after two sessions in Geneva—one in the morning and another in the afternoon between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Still, after hours of negotiation, no breakthrough materialized, leaving the core dispute unresolved.

“We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran,” Albusaidi wrote on X. He did not detail which issues had narrowed or whether the principal obstacles—sanctions relief and nuclear constraints—had been bridged. The talks concluded without a joint statement and without immediate public comment from the U.S. delegation. Axios quoted a senior U.S. official describing the Geneva negotiations as “positive,” but no elaboration followed.

The absence of a deal comes amid heightened military tension. The United States has amassed forces in waters near Iran, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action if diplomacy fails. Any movement toward agreement could reduce the imminent prospect of U.S. strikes, a scenario many regional actors fear could expand into a broader conflict.

Araqchi characterized the session as unusually substantive. “Today’s round was the best among the rounds so far. We clearly presented our demands to the American side,” he told Iranian state television. He added that the discussions marked “one of our most serious and longest rounds of negotiations.” According to Araqchi, “We reached agreement on some issues, and there are differences regarding some other issues.”

The Iranian minister said technical-level talks would take place on Monday to address detailed specifics, with the next political round scheduled “in less than a week.” Those technical discussions are set for Vienna next week, following consultations in Washington and Tehran. Albusaidi is expected to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other officials in Washington on Friday, according to MS NOW, though neither the White House nor Oman’s embassy immediately commented.

At the center of the impasse remains sequencing. Tehran reiterated its demand for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, a position Araqchi said had been “clearly expressed.” Washington has long maintained that sanctions relief would follow only after substantial Iranian concessions on its nuclear program. The dispute has persisted for decades and frames each negotiating round as a trade-off between economic reprieve and verifiable nuclear constraints.

The current diplomacy is widely viewed by analysts as a narrowing window. With two sessions held in a single day and follow-on talks scheduled within one week, the tempo has accelerated. Yet Tuesday’s indirect format, mediated by Oman rather than conducted face-to-face, underscores the enduring mistrust between Washington and Tehran. Absent a formal accord, the region remains on edge, balancing between incremental diplomatic gains and the visible U.S. military buildup that shadows them.