Middle East
A woman walks near a banner depicting Iran's late and current supreme leaders (R to L) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along a main street in Tehran on February 21, 2026. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, held separate phone calls on Sunday with his Omani and Iranian counterparts to discuss the upcoming third round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, stressing the need to ensure the negotiations succeed and avert the risk of regional war.
Negotiators from Iran and the US are set to meet again in Geneva on Thursday, according to confirmation from Oman’s foreign ministry.
In a call with Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, the two sides “emphasized the importance of ensuring the success of the negotiations in order to avert the threat of war in the region and enhance security and stability,” Iraq’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hussein also spoke with Abbas Araghchi, with both officials underscoring the need to sustain diplomatic efforts to reach a lasting solution.
“Both parties emphasized that the appropriate path to addressing current challenges lies in adopting a peaceful approach and resorting to dialogue and negotiations as a means to de-escalate tensions and promote stability,” the ministry said in a separate statement.
According to the statement, Hussein and Araghchi agreed to “maintain communication and coordination in the coming period to ensure continued exchange of views on issues of mutual interest,” particularly given the sensitive circumstances facing the region.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated this week despite indirect talks in Geneva over Iran’s nuclear program.
Oman has mediated two rounds of negotiations since February. Washington is demanding that Iran curb its uranium enrichment activities, while Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday signaled he would decide within ten days whether to launch military strikes against Iran, amid a significant US military buildup in the Gulf and reports that the White House is weighing fresh action.
Speaking at the inaugural US-led Board of Peace session in Washington, Trump urged Iran to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program.
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing. And if they join us, that’ll be great,” he said.
He warned that Iran “must make a deal” or risk “a very different path.”
“They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal,” Trump added.
Trump said the world would know “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether Washington would reach an agreement with Tehran, after earlier indicating that the process could take up to a month.
Araghchi is expected to present a draft of a “coherent framework” to the US within two weeks, Iran’s state-run news agency reported on Wednesday.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment