Iran, U.S. to resume negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday

State Secretary Marco Rubio on Monday underscored the difficulty of striking a deal with Iranian leaders, citing the government’s basis in radical Islam. President Donald Trump still wants to at least try to broker a deal and not prejudge the outcome, despite the historic difficulty, Rubio said.

Both countries sat down to nuclear negotiations in Oman earlier this month. The secretary’s comments came as representatives from both countries planned to meet in Geneva on Tuesday and resume negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. negotiators are traveling to Switzerland now and are hopeful for a diplomatic agreement, but it will be hard, he said.

What will negotiations look like? Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi planned to facilitate discussions with the United States and Iran, according to a Monday statement from Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. Switzerland welcomed the group’s decision to convene in Geneva and supported ongoing efforts for de-escalation and stability, Cassis said.

What has Iran said? Iran’s foreign ministry released a Monday statement describing the slated talks as indirect negotiations on nuclear policies and sanctions. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi voiced determination for result-oriented diplomacy that would safeguard the rights of Iranians and preserve regional peace, the statement said. Araghchi released a separate Sunday statement on the planned negotiations and characterized his own efforts as an attempt to pose real ideas to achieve a fair deal. Submission to threats is not on the table, Araghchi added.

Araghchi also met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, leader of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, before Tuesday's talks. The pair discussed several technical issues around IAEA cooperation within the framework of safeguards written into Iranian law, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report on the U.S. military sending another aircraft carrier to the Middle East last week amid rising Iran tensions.