Senior Iranian officials with the exception of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi remained silent in the aftermath of February 26, 2026, negotiations with the United States. Hardline figures and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, who typically respond to such moments with defiance and threats against the United States and Israel, refrained from issuing their usual statements.
State-controlled media sought to frame the Geneva talks in a positive light, amplifying Araghchi’s description of the meeting as the “longest and most serious” round in the latest phase of diplomacy between the two countries. Tehran appears to have engaged Washington just enough to stave off President Donald Trump’s military strike. Indications suggest that the two sides plan to reconvene in the first week of March.
Tehran appears to have engaged Washington just enough to stave off President Donald Trump’s military strike.
Elias Hazrati, the spokesman for the presidential administration, dismissed reports in American media that divisions persist between the parties. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is demanding a total halt to uranium enrichment and the transfer of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium out of Iran. Hazrati declared, “Enrichment will continue and nothing will leave Iran.”
Instead, Araghchi, Hazrati, and Tehran’s media outlets emphasized the easing of U.S. sanctions that have battered the country’s economy. They portrayed sanctions relief as a central component of the negotiations. Independent reporting, however, has indicated that Washington remains reluctant to offer relief absent an agreement and verified compliance by Tehran.
Nour News, closely aligned with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, cited Al-Mayadin TV, an Arabic-language outlet established and funded by the Islamic Republic, as evidence that Washington is considering sanctions relief.
In a separate commentary, Nour News observed that the talks have begun “under conditions in which expectations, sensitivities, and mutual mistrust run far deeper than in previous rounds,” adding that every political signal before and after the negotiations is being closely scrutinized. From Tehran’s perspective, it wrote, this is not a fresh start but the continuation of a repeatedly tested path now reaching a stage of “final clarification.” Drawing on experience, particularly episodes when diplomatic engagement coincided with escalating tensions and what Tehran saw as Washington’s tacit approval of Israeli actions, Iran is approaching this phase with “caution and calculation.” The outlet argued that this historical backdrop has shifted Iran’s posture from naïve optimism to guarded realism, while reiterating that U.S. claims about the dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs are unfounded.
Meanwhile, the Tehran-based website Rouydad24 expressed optimism about the “unexpected” visit by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi to Washington after the third round of Geneva talks and his meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance. The outlet suggested that this development could work in Iran’s favor.
Rouydad24 described what it called a “strategic duality” within the Trump administration. On one side stands Secretary of State Marco Rubio, portrayed as representing the “classic hawks” who view Iran as an existential threat and advocate continued “maximum pressure”—and potentially military options if diplomacy fails. The website noted that Rubio has voiced frustration over the negotiating team’s inability to constrain Iran’s missile program.
Whether al-Busaidi’s visit represents a last-ditch diplomatic effort to forestall a U.S. strike or the beginning of a genuine breakthrough remains unclear.
On the other side is Vance. While publicly aligned with Rubio’s rhetoric, Rouydad24 argued that Vance’s intellectual background lies in “economic nationalism” and a form of “new isolationism.” Figures such as Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, it suggested, seek to end what they regard as “endless wars” in the Middle East. Vance’s engagement with the Omani mediator, the report claimed, signals to hardline circles including Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington has little appetite for embarking on another costly and open-ended conflict. In this interpretation, Vance is tasked with advancing Trump’s transactional pragmatism over Rubio’s more ideological approach.
Whether al-Busaidi’s visit represents a last-ditch diplomatic effort to forestall a U.S. strike or the beginning of a genuine breakthrough remains unclear. Oman, like Qatar, has a strong interest in the Islamic Republic’s continued survival, serving as a trade and financial conduit in the face of sanctions, a role that carries significant economic benefits. Ultimately, however, the decision on whether diplomacy proceeds or another course is chosen rests with Trump.
