US Vice President JD Vance described the second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with Iran, concluded in Geneva on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as “productive in some ways” but stressed that Tehran remains unwilling to address several of President Donald Trump’s non-negotiable “red lines.”
In an interview with Fox News, Vance declined to specify which red lines Iran has so far refused to discuss, but reiterated the administration’s core objective: “Our primary interest here is we don’t want Iran to get a nuclear weapon.”
“In some ways it went well. They agreed to meet afterwards. But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through,” Vance said.
He emphasized that diplomacy remains the preferred path but cautioned that President Trump retains full authority to determine when negotiations have reached their limit. “We’re going to keep on working it. But of course, the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end. We hope we don’t get to that point, but if we do, that will be the president’s call,” Vance added.
The vice president’s remarks came hours after the Geneva session ended under Omani mediation. The Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the US team—headed by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner—exchanged notes on technical, legal, and economic issues through intermediaries. Both sides also held separate consultations with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Araghchi characterized the talks as “more serious” and conducted in a “more constructive” atmosphere than the first round held on February 6, 2026, in Muscat, Oman. He announced that the parties had reached a “general agreement on a set of guiding principles” to serve as the basis for drafting a potential agreement. “It was decided that both sides will work on the drafts of a potential agreement, and after exchanging the texts, the timing of the next round of talks will be determined,” Araghchi told reporters.
He described the outcome as creating a “clear path” forward, which Iran assesses positively, while acknowledging that bridging remaining differences will require time and effort. No date has been set for a third round, and Araghchi noted it is premature to outline a full roadmap.
The Geneva talks mark the resumption of diplomacy more than eight months after negotiations were suspended following the Iran-Israel war in June 2025. That conflict included US-led Operation Midnight Hammer strikes in June 2025, which targeted and severely damaged key Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Since then, President Trump has significantly increased US military presence in the region, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and signaling plans to send the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier as reinforcement. The buildup accompanies repeated warnings from the administration that failure to reach a deal could lead to further military action.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and insists any agreement must center on the lifting of US sanctions and nuclear-related technical matters, excluding ballistic missiles, regional proxy activities, or other issues. The US continues to demand strict curbs on uranium enrichment, comprehensive IAEA monitoring, and verifiable commitments to prevent weaponization.
The Vance interview underscores the administration’s dual-track approach: pursuing diplomacy while preserving credible military options. With both sides agreeing to prepare and exchange draft texts in the coming weeks, the next phase will test whether progress on guiding principles can translate into substantive compromises on the core issues dividing Washington and Tehran.
