Iran and US set to hold 'indirect high-level talks' in Muscat

IANS April 12, 2025 111 views

Iran and the United States are set to engage in critical indirect nuclear talks mediated by Oman, signaling a potential diplomatic breakthrough. The negotiations, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, aim to address longstanding tensions over Iran's nuclear program. Both sides have expressed cautious optimism about finding common ground, though significant challenges remain from the 2018 US withdrawal from the original nuclear deal. The talks in Muscat represent a delicate diplomatic effort to re-establish communication and potentially pave the way for future agreements.

"If the other party comes to the negotiating table with equal footing, there will be a chance for an initial understanding" - Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister
Muscat, April 12: Iran and the United States are holding 'indirect high-level talks' in Oman on Saturday with Tehran insisting that the discussions will solely be about nuclear issues.

Key Points

1

Iran insists talks will focus solely on nuclear issues

2

Oman mediating high-level diplomatic discussions

3

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to represent Washington

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Potential path to reviving 2015 nuclear deal

The talks will be held with the mediation of Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

"Iran has repeatedly emphasised that it will not accept threats in these talks and will only discuss the nuclear issue on the basis of win-win negotiations," reported Iran's Tasnim News Agency.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who will be heading the country's delegation at Muscat talks, has maintained that the negotiations with the United States on Iran's nuclear programme can lead to an agreement, provided that Washington demonstrates the "necessary and sufficient" political will.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff would be the US representative.

"If the other party comes to the negotiating table with [an attitude of] equal footing, there will be a chance for an initial understanding that would mark a path for the negotiations," IRNA News Agency quoted Araqchi as saying on Saturday.

Araghchi has emphasised in the past that Iran's nuclear programme was completely "peaceful and legitimate," adding Iran was ready to resolve any existing ambiguity about its nuclear activities.

US President Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC News in late March, threatened to launch "unprecedented military strikes" on Iran if it refused to negotiate over its nuclear programme.

Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with six major countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States -- in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

However, the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the nuclear deal have not achieved substantial progress.

Reader Comments

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Sarah K.
Cautiously optimistic about these talks. Diplomacy is always better than threats. Hope both sides can find common ground 🤞
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Mike T.
Interesting that Oman is mediating. They've played this role before successfully. Maybe they can help bridge the gap between these two.
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Aisha R.
The US needs to stop with the empty threats if they're serious about negotiations. Iran has every right to peaceful nuclear energy like any other nation.
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James L.
While I support dialogue, I'm concerned Iran might be using these talks to buy time for their nuclear program. Verification will be key.
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David P.
The article mentions the 2015 deal but doesn't explain why it failed. Would be helpful to have more context about past negotiations and what's different this time.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Iran Nuclear Talks Diplomacy Middle East Negotiations Oman Steve Witkoff Seyed Abbas Araghchi
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