Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday (February 22, 2026) expressed cautious optimism about talks with Washington, saying the discussions involved exchange of “practical proposals”, while Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for West Asia, said President Donald Trump had set clear red lines regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.
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“Iran is committed to peace and stability in the region. Recent negotiations involved the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals,” Mr. Pezeshkian, a doctor-turned-moderate politician who was elected President in 2024 after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter accident, wrote in a social media post. “However, we continue to closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario,” he added.
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Mr. Pezeshkian’s comment came immediately after Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said a third round of talks between the U.S. and Iran would take place on February 26 in Geneva. “Pleased to confirm U.S.-Iran negotiations are now set for Geneva this Thursday (February 26, 2026) with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalising the deal,” Mr. Albusaidi wrote in a post. Oman mediated the first round of the talks in Muscat on February 6 and the second round in Geneva on February 17. While Iran claimed “guiding principles” of future talks were agreed between the two sides on February 17, the U.S. side was less optimistic and said gaps remained.
Mr. Witkoff, the chief U.S. negotiator with Iran, said in an interview on Sunday (February 22, 2026) the President was “curious” on why Iran had not capitulated under American pressure. “The President asked me that this morning, and he’s — I don’t wanna use the word frustrated… because he understands he’s got plenty of alternatives, but… he’s curious as to why they haven’t, I don’t wanna use the word capitulated, but why they haven’t capitulated,” Mr. Witkoff told Lara Trump, the President’s daughter-in-law, on Fox News.
He added that Mr. Trump is wondering “why, under this pressure, with the amount of sea power and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘we profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do?’”
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The U.S. has deployed dozens of fighter jets, warships, two aircraft carriers, missile defence shields and fuel tankers to the region, with the President threatening to use force if Iran failed to make a deal. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any attack on the Islamic Republic would trigger a regional war.
Mr. Witkoff added that Mr. Trump gave him and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, who is also part of the negotiating team, the administration’s red lines. “Zero, zero enrichment; we have to get the material back,” he said, referring to Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. After the June 2025 attack by Israel and the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Mr. Trump had claimed that the U.S. had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme. But Mr. Witkoff indicated on Sunday (February 22, 2026) that Iran still possessed highly enriched uranium.
“They say it’s all about a civilian programme, yet they’ve been enriching far beyond what’s needed for civil nuclear use, up to 60%. They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade, bomb-making material. That’s extremely dangerous, and I can’t accept that,” Mr. Witkoff said.
Iran’s state media reported on Monday (February 23, 2026) that Mr. Araghchi held talks with his Omani counterpart about the arrangements for holding the next round of talks. Earlier, Mr. Araghchi told CBS that there was still a “good chance” for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue. “One fact is there, that if they (the U.S.) want to find a resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the only way is diplomacy,” he said. “So, there is no need for any military buildup, and military buildup cannot help it and cannot pressurise us.”
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday (February 23, 2026) any potential agreement must be “balanced” and based on “mutual respect”.
Our duty as the diplomatic apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to ensure the rights and interests of the Iranian nation. As a rule, we can only accept an understanding or agreement that contains the characteristics of ensuring Iran’s rights and national interests; both on the nuclear issue and on the issue of lifting sanctions,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters in Tehran, according to state media.
Published – February 23, 2026 06:19 pm IST
