In an interview with the BBC in Tehran, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said the ball was “in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal”, adding, “If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement.”
The US and Iran held indirect talks in Oman earlier in February, and Takht-Ravanchi, who confirmed a second round was set to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, said they had been “more or less in a positive direction but it is too early to judge”. Trump has also described those talks as positive.
🔴 Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi:
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) February 15, 2026
🔺 The ball is in the US court. If Washington acts in good faith, an agreement is possible.
🔺 Zero enrichment is not up for negotiation, and Iran will not give up its defensive capabilities. pic.twitter.com/850vT1o5jg
The deputy foreign minister pointed to Tehran’s offer to dilute its 60%-enriched uranium as evidence of its willingness to compromise.
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our programme if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.
As to whether Iran would agree to ship its stockpile of enriched uranium out of Iran, Takht-Ravanchi said “it was too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations”.
Takht-Ravanchi added that the “issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table anymore”.
Iran’s negotiator also reiterated Tehran’s refusal to discuss its ballistic missile programme with American negotiators.
“When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?” Takht-Ravanchi stressed.
The senior diplomat, who is playing a key role in the current talks as he did in the negotiations more than a decade ago, also expressed concern about the American president’s conflicting messages.
“We are hearing that they are interested in negotiations,” he said. “They have said it publicly; they have said it in private conversations through Oman that they are interested to have these matters resolved peacefully.”
“We are not hearing that in the private messages,” Takht-Ravanchi observed, referring to the notes being passed through Oman’s foreign minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, who is now the main Arab mediator, with other regional powers also playing a significant role, including Qatar.
Takht-Ravanchi also questioned the US military build-up in the region, warning another war would be “traumatic, bad for everybody… everybody will suffer, particularly those who have initiated this aggression”.
He added, “If we feel this is an existential threat, we will respond accordingly.”
“It is not wise to even think about such a very dangerous scenario because the whole region will be in a mess.”
Iran has repeatedly made it clear that US military bases in the region would be regarded as a legitimate target.
In previous attacks, including on the Al-Udeid military base in Qatar after the US struck Iranian nuclear sites last June, Tehran avoided causing American casualties.
Asked about more than 40,000 US soldiers now being posted in the region, Takht-Ravanchi replied, “It would be a different game”.
Senior Iranian officials have been engaged in intensive discussions with their counterparts across the region, who have in turn been on the phone to President Trump about the urgency of avoiding a war that would have far-reaching repercussions.
“We see an almost unanimous agreement in the region against war,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
“We are hopeful we can do this through diplomacy, although we can’t be 100% sure,” he reflected, adding Iran has “to be alert so we are not surprised”.
“We will do our best but the other side also has to prove that they are also sincere,” he said.