Iran calls US nuclear talks a 'step forward' as caution lingers

Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg News on Feb 8, 2026

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Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian described the Friday nuclear talks with Washington as “a step forward,” even as he pushed back against any attempts at intimidation.

“Dialogue has always been our strategy for resolving issues peacefully,” Pezeshkian said in an X posting on Sunday, referring to the talks that featured Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The recent talks, mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, follow up on five rounds of negotiations that unraveled last year after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran in June. Trump characterized Friday’s talks as “very good” and said another meeting was set for early this week.

The renewed engagement comes under the shadow of a continued U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and fresh American sanctions targeting Iran’s oil shipments. Trump has threatened strikes on Iran, citing both Tehran’s crackdown on protests as well as its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“The Iranian nation has always responded to respect with respect, but does not tolerate the language of force,” Pezeshkian added.

On Sunday, Araghchi said the talks with the U.S. remained limited to the nuclear issue, stressing that the Islamic Republic won’t give up its right to enrich uranium domestically. He reiterated that Tehran isn’t pursuing nuclear weapons, despite concerns that its stockpile of highly enriched uranium has brought it close to weapons capability and despite Trump’s claims that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites had destroyed its atomic program.

“They fear our nuclear bomb, while we are not seeking one,” Araghchi said. He stated that Tehran is ready to “build trust” and address concerns over its nuclear program, “but no one has the right to tell us that you must not have something simply because I want it that way.”

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