Iran has agreed to sit for talks after the United States applied sustained pressure through various diplomatic channels to revive negotiations on a nuclear-related agreement. According to international news agency Reuters, the two countries have reached an understanding to hold talks in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
Amid growing concerns that regional conflict could erupt in the Middle East, countries including Turkey had conveyed their readiness to help facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran. The talks are scheduled to take place in Oman on Friday.
Regional officials said Iran chose Oman as the venue, viewing it as a continuation of previous nuclear-focused negotiations held there. The United States will be represented by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, while Iran will be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The agenda for the talks has not yet been made public.
There are clear differences between the two sides regarding the scope of the agenda. The United States insists that Iran’s nuclear program as well as its regional activities should be included in the discussions, while Iran maintains that issues beyond its nuclear program are not open for negotiation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the talks should not be limited solely to nuclear issues. According to him, Washington believes Iran’s ballistic missile program, its support for armed groups in the Middle East, and its domestic human rights situation should also be discussed.
Iran has consistently claimed that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes.
Military Tensions and Sanctions Add Urgency to Dialogue
However, the United States and Israel have long accused Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, the U.S. has deployed thousands of troops, aircraft carriers, and fighter jets to the Middle East.
As the U.S. military presence in the region continues to grow, fears of a potential military confrontation have intensified, making the current diplomatic effort particularly sensitive. In recent days, disagreements over the scope and location of the talks had raised doubts over whether the meeting would take place at all.
Although there was initially an agreement to hold the talks in Istanbul, the venue was later shifted to Muscat. U.S. President Donald Trump has issued strong remarks against Iran, warning that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “should be very concerned.”
Regional tensions escalated further last summer after Israel and the United States carried out attacks on Iran. Tehran later claimed it had replenished its missile stockpiles and warned that it would respond forcefully if its security were threatened.
- Trump has also warned of “negative consequences” if a nuclear agreement is not reached, increasing pressure on Iran. Iran, meanwhile, appears willing to engage in talks in the hope that sanctions will be lifted, as Western restrictions have plunged its economy into a severe crisis.
Separately, it was revealed on Wednesday that Iran launched a drone attack targeting the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the Arabian Sea.
U.S. officials claimed that American fighter jets intercepted and shot down the drone. Additionally, tensions have been further heightened by an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly threatened a U.S.-flagged oil tanker.
