• IAEA seeks ‘urgent’ access to verify Iran’s sites and materials
• Fresh technical discussions are set for Vienna next week; Rubio will hold separate talks in Israel on Monday
• China asks its citizens to leave Iran immediately

PARIS: Iran said on Friday the United States must drop its “excessive demands” to secure a nuclear deal, tempering optimism that emerged from last-ditch, Oman-mediated talks aimed at averting a wider conflict in the Middle East.

The warning from Tehran came amid a massive US military buildup in the region and just a day after both Iranian and Omani officials reported “significant progress” in negotiations.

The talks are set against a 15-day deadline issued by President Donald Trump on Feb 19 for Iran to reach an agreement that Washington insists must curtail its missile program and support for militant groups.

Without detailing the specific points of contention, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Egyptian counterpart that “success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands”.

The diplomatic push comes as the UN’s nuclear watchdog, in a confidential report, urged Iran to cooperate “constructively,” calling it “indispensable and urgent” that its inspectors be allowed to verify all nuclear material.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report expressed “increasing concern” that it has not been granted access to a fourth enrichment facility declared by Iran last June.

The report noted the agency’s “loss of continuity of knowledge” over Iran’s stockpile, which included an estimated 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% before Israeli and US military strikes on its nuclear sites last year.

That amount is enough for approximately 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA benchmark.

Separately, US President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address that Iran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America”.

He also accused Iran of “pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions”, though Tehran has always insisted its programme is for civilian purposes.

The accusations were delivered in the same forum in which then-president George W. Bush laid out the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims “big lies”.

Adding to the diplomatic urgency, the State Department announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks in Israel on Monday to discuss Iran and other regional priorities.

The trip comes as the US is authorising the departure of non-emergency staff from its embassy in Israel, heightening speculation of potential military action.

Despite the tensions, plans are moving forward for more dialogue. Technical discussions between Iran and the IAEA are scheduled to begin in Vienna on Monday.

Growing fears of a conflict spurred China to join other nations in warning its citizens to leave Iran “as soon as possible.” Britain has also withdrawn its embassy staff.

On Friday, the United States authorised the departure of non-emergency government personnel and family members from its embassy in Israel.

“Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available,” the embassy said in a website advisory.

The move coincided with the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, off the coast of Israel, joining more than a dozen other US warships in the region.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “extremely alarmed” at the risk of a regional escalation. “I hope the voice of reason prevails,” he said. A previous round of negotiations collapsed last June when Israel launched strikes on Iran, sparking a 12-day war that the US briefly joined.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2026