Photo: AP
Dubai: Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in Oman on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions between the two countries following Tehran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests last month.
Araghchi’s statement came after several hours of uncertainty over whether the talks would go ahead, as differences emerged over their format and agenda. At the same time, US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying in an interview that Khamenei should be deeply concerned ahead of the discussions, AP reported.
According to regional diplomatic sources, Turkey had been attempting to facilitate a broader meeting in Istanbul involving regional countries, with discussions expected to cover Iran’s ballistic missile programme and other contentious issues. However, by early Wednesday, officials indicated that Iran was seeking a more limited meeting focused solely on its nuclear programme, with participation restricted to Tehran and Washington.
Oman, which has long acted as an intermediary between Iran and Western powers, had previously hosted similar talks last year. Those negotiations collapsed in June after Israel launched a 12-day military campaign against Iran, during which the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A White House official confirmed that the talks would indeed take place in Oman, saying that several Arab and Muslim leaders had urged the Trump administration not to abandon diplomacy, even as Iranian officials pressed to narrow the scope of the discussions. The official added that while the administration remained highly doubtful about the prospects for success, it had agreed to the revised plan in deference to regional allies.
Alan Eyre, a former US diplomat who was involved in earlier nuclear negotiations with Iran, was also quoted as expressing scepticism about the likelihood of the talks producing meaningful results.
"Opting for indirect talks is the diplomatic equivalent of a surgeon taking a hit of ether and then putting on gloves before a difficult surgery," Eyre wrote on X.