



Mint Explainer: Will the latest round of US-Iran talks succeed?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As Iran and the United States return to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the geopolitical stakes have shifted. While Iran enters these discussions, which began on 6 January, on much weaker footing than in the past, US President Donald Trump arrives emboldened by the recent success of the Venezuela operation.
Mint explores the implications of this recalibrated power dynamic for the future of the nuclear deal. The subject is Iran’s nuclear programme—specifically, a complete end to Tehran’s uranium enrichment. The US also wants Iran to hand over 440 kg of near-weapons-grade uranium, estimated to be enough material to make 10 nuclear bombs.
Washington also wants to widen the ambit of the talks to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme, its backing of armed groups in the region, and the “treatment of their own people", US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said. Iran has refused to do this, restricting talks to the nuclear issue alone. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is representing Iran in Oman, while Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff are representing the US.
Iran is seen as being at its weakest in decades. It has seen major popular protests in recent weeks over high costs of living. The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei government used force to put down these protests, prompting Trump to post on X that help was “on the way".
The number of civilian deaths reported varies between 6,100 and 30,000. The diplomatic climate shifted drastically in June 2025, when President Trump ordered targeted airstrikes on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. While the full extent of the structural damage remains unknown,
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