Delegates at the second round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States on Tuesday hailed incremental progress towards a deal that could ease tensions between the two countries.

The talks, which were mediated by Oman in the Swiss city of Geneva, "concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues," according to Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

"The spirit of our meetings was constructive," he said. "Together we made serious efforts to define a number of guiding principles for a final deal."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said after the talks that "the path to an agreement has begun."

"Ultimately, we were able to reach broad agreement on a set of guiding principles, based on which we will move forward and begin working on the text of a potential agreement," Araghchi told Iranian state TV. 

"I can say that, compared with the previous round, fully serious discussions were raised and the atmosphere was more constructive."

But, he also stressed that "Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression."

Representing the US side, presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, were due to attend the Tuesday talks

"Progress was made, ‌but there are ‌still ​a lot of details to discuss," a US official, speaking on the condition of anonyminity, later told news agency Reuters.

"The Iranians said ​they would come ‌back in the next two ​weeks ⁠with detailed proposals to address ⁠some ​of the open gaps in our positions."

Later on Tuesday, US Vice President JD Vance, who was not present at the talks, said there was still work to be done.

"In some ways, it went well; they agreed to meet afterwards," Vance said in an interview with Fox News.

"But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through,"

What does the US want from negotiations?

The US has said it wants to limit Iran's nuclear program and ensure Tehran cannot develop nuclear weapons.

Trump, who said he would be "indirectly" involved in the Geneva talks, has threatened to take military action against Iran over a crackdown on anti-government protests. The US president added that he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal.

"I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. "We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s."

Trump has said he believes a change of government in Iran would be the "best thing that could happen."

Washington has also sought to expand the talks to include Iran's missile stockpile.

"I'm not going to prejudge these talks," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubioon Monday. "The president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things." 

What does Iran want from negotiations?

Iran has consistently said its nuclear program serves exclusively civilian, energy-production purposes and has refused to limit its enrichment of uranium. Tehran has, however, enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels and far beyond the level needed for energy production.

Ahead of the talks, Araghchi wrote on X that he would present "real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal."

"What is not on the table: submission before threats," he added.

Iran has said that any agreement with the US needs to include easing of economic sanctions.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States.

"The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us," Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC on Sunday.

"If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement."

The Iranian government has been weakened in recent months by large street protests in which thousands of people were killed during a government crackdown. 

But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Trump would not succeed in destroying Iran.

"In one of his recent speeches, the US president said that for 47 years America has not succeeded in destroying the Islamic republic... I tell you: you will not succeed either," said Khamenei in a speech.

Talks amid increasing military presence

Iran said that its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard started drills on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the waterways through which 20% of the world's oil passes. On Tuesday, the Iranian military said it would close the Strait of Hormuz for several hours while it conducted live-fire exercises in the area, according to Iranian media.

Last week, Trump said the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean Sea to the Mideast to join other US military assets in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers.

Gulf Arab nations have warned that any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Mideast still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

No date has been set for a possible third round of negotiations.

Previous talks halted by Israel-Iran war

The first round of indirect talks was held on February 6 in Oman. During those negotiations, it appeared that vehicles displaying the US flag entered the venue only after Iranian officials had left.

Months of previous negotiations between the US and Iran came to a halt in June when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran. The US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities during that war.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar, Louis Oelofse