Iranian and US officials on Wednesday confirmed a meeting will take place in Muscat, Oman, on Friday. The announcement followed reports earlier in the day that talks were in jeopardy amid disputes over format and venue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that the nuclear talks are scheduled for Friday in Muscat and thanked Oman for arranging the meeting: “I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all the necessary arrangements.” White House officials also told news agencies the meeting would be held in Oman; earlier in the week US officials had suggested Turkey as a likely location.
No agreement on the agenda
Despite the scheduling confirmation, there was no sign the parties had resolved differences over the talks’ scope. Iran has sought to limit discussions to its long-standing nuclear dispute with Western nations. US officials, however, have signaled they expect a broader agenda.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, “If the Iranians want to meet, we’re ready,” adding that talks would need to address Iran’s ballistic missile program, its support for armed proxy groups in the Middle East, and its domestic treatment of citizens, as well as nuclear issues. Two senior Iranian officials separately told Reuters that Iran’s missile program was “off the table,” and warned that US insistence on raising non-nuclear topics could jeopardize the negotiations.
Rising US pressure on Iran
Amid preparations for the talks, President Donald Trump continued to increase pressure on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said, “I would say he should be very worried.” He alleged Iran had planned a new nuclear facility following US strikes on Iranian sites during Israel’s conflict with Iran in June, and claimed US intelligence uncovered the plan. “They were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country,” Trump said. “We found out about it, I said, ‘You do that, we’re going to do very bad things to you.'”
In recent weeks the US has bolstered its military presence in the region, and Trump has declined to rule out further military action.
Edited by: Sean Sinico