Talks between Iran and the United States, which began at 9:30 AM in Geneva, Switzerland today, ended very shortly thereafter.
Both sides have reportedly departed the negotiation venue.
Meanwhile, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft Carrier and its Strike Group, transited the Strait of Gibraltar this morning, moving from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea. Below is an image showing the ship in the Strait, this morning.
It is expected that the vessel and its Strike Group will reach the eastern Mediterranean and be within range of Iran, in three (3) days.
UPDATE 9:48 AM EST -
Iran's Foreign Minister has released a statement: "Discussions were completely serious and the atmosphere was more constructive than the last round. We agreed on guiding principles to begin drafting text of a potential deal. Good progress was made; the path ahead is clearer. Drafting will be hard work, but the path has started."
No date set for third round of US talks.
ANALYSIS
We've heard a variation of this readout from Araghchi before about an agreeing to an understanding of principles which later fell apart. This is Iran's regime saying and doing enough to earn another meeting to keep the process moving.
It appears to me that both sides for now want to keep up appearances that things are progressing despite the vast gaps in their positions. The Islamic Republic views the diplomatic process itself as protection: insulating it from further economic and military blows and allowing it to get ready for military action. The U.S., which has a deadline of around a month that puts us in mid-March, also needs more time to set-up the CENTCOM theater and for failed diplomacy to legitimize military action.
In the leadup to the 12-Day War, Araghchi also gave readouts suggesting they succeeded in reaching a better understanding on principles, that there was "good progress," and that work would begin on "drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal." Months later, there were Israeli and U.S. strikes.
