Iran signals willingness to compromise before Geneva talks as US keeps military option open

Iran is ready to take any necessary steps to reach a deal with the United States, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said, as the two countries prepare for a fresh round of talks.

"We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith," Takht-Ravanchi said in comments carried by state media on Tuesday.

"If there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we will respond according to our defence plans... A US attack on Iran is a real gamble," Takht-Ravanchi added.

The Iranian statement came as White House said US President Donald Trump's first option with Tehran is always diplomacy, but he is willing to use lethal force if necessary.

"President Trump's first option is always diplomacy. But as he has shown ... he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.

"The president is always the final decision maker around here."

‘Peaceful nuclear enrichment’

A senior Iranian official said on Sunday that Tehran would seriously consider a combination of sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad, diluting the rest and taking part in creating a regional enrichment consortium - an idea periodically raised during years of Iran-linked diplomacy.

Iran would do this in return for US recognition of Iran's right to "peaceful nuclear enrichment" under a deal that would also include lifting economic sanctions, the official said.

The talks are set to take place on Thursday in Geneva, a senior US official said on Monday, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner slated to meet with an Iranian delegation for the negotiations.

Building up military in Middle East

The two countries resumed negotiations earlier this month as the US builds up its military capability in the Middle East.

Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region if it is attacked.

Indirect talks between the two sides last year brought no agreement, primarily due to friction over a US demand that Iran forgo uranium enrichment on its soil, which Washington views as a pathway to a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied seeking such weapons.

The US joined Israel in hitting Iranian nuclear sites last June, effectively curtailing Iran's uranium enrichment, with Trump saying its key nuclear sites were "obliterated."