GENEVA (AP) \u2014 Iran\u2019s top diplomat met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency on Monday, ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,\u201d Araghchi wrote on X. \u201cWhat is not on the table: submission before threats.\u201d<\/p>\n
As U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an additional aircraft carrier to the region, Iran on Monday launched a second naval drill in weeks, state TV reported. It said the drill would test Iran\u2019s intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. <\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s drills take place against the US military buildup<\/p>\n
Just before the talks, Iran announced its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard started the drill early Monday morning in the waterways that are crucial international trade routes<\/a> through which 20% of the world\u2019s oil passes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately, EOS Risk Group said sailors passing through the region received by radio a warning that the northern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, in Iranian territorial waters, likely would see a live-fire drill Tuesday. Iranian state TV did not mention the live fire drill.<\/p>\n This is the second time in recent weeks sailors have received warning about an Iranian live fire drill. During the previous exercise, announced at the end of January, the U.S. military\u2019s Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. While acknowledging Iran\u2019s \u201cright to operate professionally in international airspace and waters,\u201d it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels. <\/p>\n On Feb. 4, tensions between the Iranian and U.S. navies<\/a> rose further after a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln<\/a> in the Arabian Sea. Iran also harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military reported.<\/p>\n Iran open to compromise in exchange for sanctions relief<\/p>\n The Trump administration is seeking a deal to limit Iran\u2019s nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons. On Sunday, Iran\u2019s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball is in America\u2019s court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us,\u201d Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. \u201cIf we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Oman hosted a first round of indirect talks<\/a> between the U.S. and Iran on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n Similar talks last year between the U.S. and Iran about Iran\u2019s nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran<\/a>, that included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. is also hosting talks<\/a> between envoys from Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday<\/a>, days ahead of the fourth anniversary of the all-out Russian invasion of its neighbor<\/a>.<\/p>\n US keeps military pressure high<\/p>\n Trump initially threatened to take military action over Iran\u2019s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests<\/a> last month, but then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, reiterated on Monday that the U.S. hopes to achieve a deal with Iran, despite the difficulties. \u201cI\u2019m not going to prejudge these talks,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThe president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump said Friday the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world\u2019s largest aircraft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to join other military assets<\/a> the U.S. has built up in the region. He also said a change in power in Iran \u201cwould be the best thing that could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran has said if the U.S. attacks, it will respond with an attack of its own.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has maintained that Iran can have no uranium enrichment under any deal. Tehran says it won\u2019t agree to that.<\/p>\n Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon<\/a>. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.<\/p>\n The direct meeting with Grossi is a significant step after Iran suspended all cooperation with the IAEA<\/a> following the June war with Israel. The two also met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The IAEA said it has been unable to verify the status<\/a> of Iran\u2019s near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war. Iran has allowed IAEA some access to sites that were not damaged, but has not allowed inspectors to visit other sites. <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, Grossi previously told The Associated Press. <\/a> He added that it doesn\u2019t mean that Iran has such a weapon.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to Washington last week to urge Trump to ensure that any deal to include steps to neutralize Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program<\/a> and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Matthew Lee in Budapest, Hungary contributed to this report. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York<\/a> and Outrider Foundation<\/a>. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n