Geneva talks stall as US demands zero enrichment, uranium transfer, source says

Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva were conducted in an “intense and serious” manner and will resume around 17:30-18:00 Geneva time.

Speaking to state television, Baghaei said Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi was also present at the talks.

He said both delegations needed to consult with their respective capitals before negotiations restart later in the day.

Baghaei said the talks are focused solely on nuclear issues and sanctions relief, stressing that “the subject is only the nuclear file and the lifting of sanctions.” He also pointed to what he described as contradictory statements in US media and by some American officials, saying such remarks fuel doubts, but emphasized that Iran’s priority remains achieving a concrete outcome.

Talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on Thursday have been “intense and serious,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

The official said new ideas were raised during the negotiations that require consultation in Tehran and that some gaps remain between the two sides.

He added that reaching a framework for a deal would be possible if Washington “seriously separates nuclear and non-nuclear issues.”

The United States entered nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva with demands that Tehran dismantle its main nuclear facilities and transfer its enriched uranium stockpile, officials familiar with the discussions told the Wall Street Journal.

According to the report, US negotiators were expected to make clear that sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan must be dismantled and that any agreement should not include sunset clauses. “Iran must dismantle its three main nuclear sites … and deliver all of its remaining enriched uranium to the US,” officials told the newspaper.

The officials also said Washington is insisting on zero enrichment, though it could allow Iran to operate a Tehran reactor at very low enrichment levels for medical purposes. The US is offering limited sanctions relief at the outset, with broader easing possible if Iran complies over time, the report said.

The talks come as President Donald Trump has warned of military action if no deal is reached, while Iran has said it would treat any attack as the start of a wider conflict.

Iranian protesters demonstrated against the Islamic Republic outside the United Nations Office in Geneva on Thursday as a new round of US-Iran talks took place in the Swiss city, waving pre-Islamic Republic Lion and Sun flags and holding pictures of exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Several Iranian universities announced that classes will be held online until the end of the term following days of student rallies across campuses.

Institutions including Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman Branch, Isfahan University of Art, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, University of Damghan, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Islamic Azad University, Gilan Branch and Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch confirmed the shift in separate notices.

The student group Daneshjuyan Motahed criticized the decision, saying in a statement that “the Islamic Republic has once again proven its fear of students,” and reported that some students were boycotting online classes in response.