2nd round of Iran-US talks held in 'constructive' atmosphere, new talks to be scheduled: Iran's FM

TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday the second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States was held in a more "constructive" atmosphere in Geneva compared to the previous round in Oman.

Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV following the conclusion of the Oman-mediated nuclear negotiations between delegations of Iran and the United States at Oman's embassy in the Swiss city.

"Different ideas were proposed and seriously discussed, and, eventually, we managed to reach a general agreement on a series of guiding principles, based on which we will henceforth move on and enter the text of a possible agreement," he said.

"This does not mean that we can swiftly reach an agreement, but the path has at least begun," Araghchi said. "We are hopeful that this job will be done as soon as possible and are ready to dedicate sufficient time to it."

The Iranian foreign minister added that no date has been set for the next round of talks, and the two sides have agreed to work on the draft texts of a potential agreement, exchange them with each other, and then schedule the next round.

"We now have a clearer picture of what should be done as the (diplomatic) path continues," Araghchi said.

After the talks started, Iran announced a temporary closure in parts of the Strait of Hormuz to comply with safety and shipping principles in its live fire drill "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz."

Also on Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that US President Donald Trump, like his predecessors, will fail to destroy the Islamic Republic.

The response followed Trump's comments on Friday, in which he again threatened Iran with military action and said toppling its government "would be the best thing that could happen."

The first round of the indirect nuclear negotiations was held in the Omani capital Muscat on Feb. 6. The renewed diplomatic process comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, and a US military buildup in the West Asia region.