The US and Iran are scheduled to reconvene in Geneva on Thursday for a third round of nuclear talks as the world’s largest warship nears the Middle East.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Tehran on Wednesday evening for Geneva to take part in the negotiations, Iranian state media reported. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran saw a "good outlook" for the talks.
Delegations from both countries are expected to present a detailed proposal for an agreement during the indirect negotiations, mediated by Oman.
While both sides acknowledged that "progress was made” during previous meetings, a gap remains between what the US is demanding and what Iran is willing to concede.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump said he "will never allow” Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has long denied seeking.
The President added that Iran has already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and US bases and they are working to build missiles that will soon reach the US. But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei swiftly described the remarks as “big lies”.
The US is also looking to limit Iran's ballistic capabilities and its support for regional armed groups. Meanwhile, Iran insists it wants the talks to be focused on its nuclear programme solely, saying it was willing to offer concessions in exchange for sanctions being lifted.
Despite negotiations, the danger of war still looms as both sides trade threats while keeping the door open to diplomacy.
The US now has significant firepower stationed within striking range of Iran, with a second American aircraft carrier approaching the region. A former Pentagon chief has said the countdown for a US attack will begin when the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group, the world’s largest warship and the most advanced in the US Navy, arrives in the Middle East.
It was seen in Greece on Monday and will join the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, posted to the Arabian Sea.
Mr Trump has warned his "armada” is ready to attack if Tehran does not make a deal, giving the regime a deadline that is fast approaching.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has repeatedly put its military might on show to warn of retaliation against any US strike, with the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning of sending US warships "to the bottom of the sea”.
The IRGC tested new firepower on Tuesday, one week after conducting live fire drills in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran and Russia also held joint naval exercises last week, as Tehran warned airlines of plans to launch rockets across the south of the country.
Middle East leaders have called for de-escalation, but expect the US to follow through on its military build-up to strike Iran, experts have warned. Additionally, indications show that Iran would fight back on a larger scale than during its 12-day war against Israel.
The war erupted last June with a surprise Israeli strike on Tehran, derailing US-Iran nuclear talks that were continuing at the time.
