Iran talks progress was denied by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, even as US President Donald Trump said negotiations could produce a result over the weekend.
Araghchi told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV that communication with Washington had not been cut off and that messages were exchanged on stopping attacks on Beirut. However, he said there had been “no tangible progress” in the negotiation process.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he had heard the negotiations were going “very well” and that a potential deal “could happen” over the weekend. The comment repeated his recent optimism about ending the US-Iran conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remained central to the talks. Washington wants Tehran to hand over near-weapons-grade uranium, curb nuclear activity and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks faced fresh strain after Kuwaiti officials said an Iranian drone strike hit Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and wounding 63. India’s foreign ministry said the person killed was an Indian national.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied targeting the airport and blamed failed US Patriot interceptor missiles. Kuwait’s military called the incident “criminal Iranian aggression,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of “playing with fire.”
Araghchi warned that any Israeli attack on Beirut would have “grave consequences” and lead to a full-scale resumption of war. He said Iran’s armed forces were ready to strike Israel if Beirut was attacked.
