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Iran and the US engaged in indirect talks in Oman about Tehran's nuclear program, following recent tensions. Both sides reportedly aim to establish a framework for future negotiations.
The United States and Iran held indirect talks in Oman on Friday over Tehran's nuclear programme, their first engagement in months after America launched strikes on Iran's uranium enrichment sites.
This development also comes just weeks following nationwide protests that convulsed the Islamic Republic, news agency AP reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the talks "a very good start" even though the parties met Oman's top diplomat at different times at a palace on the outskirts of the country's capital, Muscat.
Both Araghchi and the Oman officials said the talks were focused on exploring ways to hold future negotiations, effectively returning to the start of discussions about the Iranian nuclear programme that unfolded over months a year ago, before Israel launched its 12-day war on Iran in June.
Who else attended the meeting?
In an unusual development, US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military's Central Command, also attended the meeting, whose presence was not reported in previous rounds. This may have been a signal to Tehran that Washington may still strike Iran if negotiations fail.
With the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships in the region, along with more fighter jets, the United States now likely has the military firepower to launch an attack if it wanted, the news agency said.
Meanwhile, Gulf Arab nations have shown concerns that a military attack in the region could spark a war, which in turn may drag them in as well. That threat is real already as US forces shot down an Iranian drone near the Lincoln and Iran attempted to stop a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the report said.
Iran's senior diplomat offers a positive note
Araghchi struck a cautiously optimistic tone as he spoke in a live interview from Muscat on Iranian state television, noting that Friday's talks were held in multiple rounds and focused primarily on laying the framework for further negotiations.
"We will hold consultations with our capitals regarding the next steps, and the results will be conveyed to Oman foreign minister," Araghchi said.
"The mistrust that has developed is a serious challenge facing the negotiations," he further added. “We must first address this issue, and then enter into the next level of negotiations.”
Nuclear programme in spotlight
It is still not clear what exactly Iran is willing to negotiate at the talks. Tehran has maintained that the discussions will only focus on its nuclear programme.
However, Al Jazeera satellite news channel reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar have floated a proposal under which Iran would pause enrichment for three years, ship its highly enriched uranium out of the country, and pledge “not to initiate the use of ballistic missiles.”
Russia had signalled it would take the uranium, but Iran has said ending the programme or shipping out the uranium were nonstarters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the talks needed to include all those issues. "I'm not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we're going to try to find out," he was quoted as saying by AP.
English (US) ·