U.S., Iran make ‘significant progress’ in Geneva, but strikes loom

U.S. and Iranian officials held tense nuclear talks through Omani intermediaries Thursday in Geneva, with Oman’s foreign minister declaring “significant progress,” despite a massive amount of U.S. military assets still poised for conflict in the region.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said on X that technical discussions will begin next week in Vienna, even as speculation has mounted over whether the United States will launch strikes before then.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” in an exclusive interview Friday that there is “no military solution for Iran’s nuclear program,” adding that “the only solution is diplomacy.”

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, represented the U.S. in the talks, just two days after Trump said at the State of the Union that he would not hesitate to confront Iran militarily over concerns that it has pursued a nuclear weapons program after U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last June.

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said in his speech to Congress. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”

Those comments aligned with what a senior administration official previously told MS NOW: that the White House was waiting on Iran’s written proposal coming out of the Geneva talks, but the president is prepared to move against Iran militarily at any point.

The official, who was granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the potential military action, said the U.S. military will have its full desired operational resources in the Middle East by mid-March. The U.S. already has deployed two aircraft carrier groups and other assets in the region.

Democrats have insisted that Trump must consult Congress before striking Iran.

The latest talks follow multiple rounds of indirect talks that Witkoff and Kushner had with Iranian delegates earlier this month.

“This round of talks was the most intense so far,” Aragchi posted on social media after Thursday’s meetings. “It concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal — including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps.”