Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi held a phone call on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments of the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States.
The two sides reviewed the results of the second round of the negotiations held in Geneva and discussed the mechanisms and requirements of preparing the draft of a negotiation framework, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.
Araghchi highlighted Iran's concentration on developing a "preliminary and consistent" framework for advancing future talks, the IRNA reported.
Grossi described the Tuesday negotiations' results as "positive," voicing the IAEA's readiness for cooperation in developing the negotiation framework and supporting the process, it added.
One day prior to the second round of the nuclear talks, Araghchi and Grossi met in Geneva for technical discussions on Tehran's nuclear issue.
In remarks after the talks with the U.S. delegation on Tuesday, Araghchi said the second round was held in a more "constructive" atmosphere compared to the previous round in Oman on Feb. 6.
"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 noted.
The renewed diplomatic process comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, with a U.S. military buildup near Iran.
Iranian FM, IAEA chief discuss developments of Iran-U.S. negotiations
Iranian FM, IAEA chief discuss developments of Iran-U.S. negotiations
Iranian FM, IAEA chief discuss developments of Iran-U.S. negotiations
Estonian freestyle ski star Kelly Sildaru is aiming to write a fairytale comeback story as she returns to the world stage after a serious injury setback, as the 24-year-old targets glory against a strong field of competitors at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
The women's halfpipe competition, which begins its qualifying runs on Thursday, features some of the sport's most seasoned athletes who will show off their daring skills high in the snowy heights of the Italian Alpine town of Livigno.
Leading the field is defending champion and global icon Eileen Gu of China, who has already bagged two silver medals at this year's Winter Games.
But despite a difficult run up to the event, Sildaru says she is ready to challenge the favorite and compete for more medal success after bringing home slopestyle bronze at her Olympic debut in Beijing four years ago.
Now, after battling back from a severe knee injury and choosing to focus solely on the halfpipe, Sildaru says she's competing with a new sense of perspective and is feeling more relaxed about the event.
The threat of injury is an ever-present shadow which hangs over all freestyle skiers, a reality Sildaru knows all too well.
"I think freestyle skiing is one of the most dangerous sports. You don't need much [to go wrong] to crash. You could get some headwind, or something small could go wrong and you could get injured. So it's definitely a really risky sport. But yeah, I think when we're skiing and competing, we also have this thought in mind that we have a chance of injury and we're willing to take that risk. That's the sport," Sildaru told the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
This year's halfpipe competition promises to be a spectacular showcase of risk and reward, as the world's best pursue golden glory at the Games. For Sildaru, having such a strong lineup elevates the entire event and she is relishing the chance to test herself against the world's best.
"I'm really excited to be here at the Olympics anyways, and I feel like having such a strong field is also amazing, because I feel like it always sucks competing when you're missing some of the athletes. So I feel like we have everything here in the vineyard right now, and nobody's injured. So that's really, really good," she said.
The presence of Gu also puts the sport in the global spotlight, and Sildaru welcomes the increased attention the reigning champion draws to the event.
"I think definitely it brings more spotlight to the sport. And maybe, I don't know, four, five or six years ago, nobody or not that many people know, watch freestyle skiing or watch slopestyle or half pipe, but I think now they know it a bit more, which is really, really good to have more knowledge of our sport," said the Estonian skier.
As she gears up for the hotly-anticipated competition, Sildaru says that chasing medals has become an almost secondary concern. After her long road back from injury, simply being here to compete again already feels like a victory.
"It would mean so much [to win a medal]. Just battling with these injuries and just coming back I feel like it's already a win for me. So if I would go back home with a medal, it would just feel really special," she said.
Estonian freestyle skier ready to challenge for halfpipe glory after injury comeback
