Iranian FM says US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman 'a good start'
Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said the two sides agreed to continue talks but would first consult with their capitals.
WASHINGTON — Negotiators from the United States and Iran held indirect talks in Oman on Friday, convening for the first time since the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on protesters sparked warnings of US military action.
The talks were held against the backdrop of continued threats from President Donald Trump, who has amassed US military forces in the region and cautioned this week that Iran’s supreme leader should be “very worried” if a deal isn’t reached.
"We had long, intensive talks today," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Iranian press after the meeting concluded. "Views were exchanged in a very good atmosphere. It was a good start. We agreed to continue talks, but we'll consult in capitals how to continue. If this trend persists, we can reach a solid framework for future talks in next sessions."
The negotiations resembled past rounds, with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi shuttling between the two sides at his residence in the capital, Muscat.
The Iranian delegation was led by Araghchi, accompanied by senior Iranian diplomats Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi. Special envoy Steve Witkoff again represented the American side, this time joined by Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, and Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command.
In a statement posted on X, Busaidi characterized the Omani-mediated talks as “very serious,” with an expectation that the two sides would “reconvene in due course.”
“It was useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress,” the top Omani diplomat said.
Witkoff and Araghchi last held indirect talks in May before Israel’s 12-day war derailed negotiations aimed at forging an Iranian nuclear deal in exchange for US sanctions relief. The United States then bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in June, triggering retaliatory Iranian strikes on a US base in Qatar. Tehran has threatened a decisive response if Trump authorizes another attack and several of its regional proxy groups have vowed to join the fight.
The Trump administration is seeking an agreement that addresses Iran’s missile program and regional militias in addition to its uranium enrichment and stockpiles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the negotiations also needed to cover the Iranians' “treatment of their own people” after the clampdown on protests this month left thousands dead.
“I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out,” Rubio said in response to a question from Al-Monitor at a press conference Wednesday.
Iran had demanded the talks be limited to its nuclear program, which it insists is for peaceful purposes only. After the negotiations wrapped on Friday, Araghchi told Iran’s official IRNA news agency, “The subject of our talks is solely nuclear.”
An Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor that future talks are expected to exclude Iran’s missile program or regional proxies.
After Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran began enriching uranium to levels well beyond what is required for civilian use.
The Islamic Republic has banned international inspectors from visiting the damaged nuclear sites, preventing any independent verification of its stockpile of uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels.
The talks on Friday nearly fell apart before they began. They were initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul with the participation of officials from Turkey and several Arab states. But Iranian officials demanded bilateral talks with the United States, reluctant to involve regional countries that could push for greater concessions.
Oman has long served as an intermediary in Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with Washington and is seen by the Iranians as a more neutral intermediary.
Within hours of the talks wrapping on Friday, the Trump administration announced a tranche of new sanctions targeting individuals and entities connected to Iran’s oil trade. State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot said in a statement that the targets helped generate revenue used by Iran to conduct its malign activities.
“Instead of investing in the welfare of its own people and crumbling infrastructure, the Iranian regime continues to fund destabilizing activities around the world and step up its repression inside Iran,” Piggot said.
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
