Muscat, Oman. The United States and Iran are set to hold talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran pushed to move the meeting from Turkey to keep discussions focused on its nuclear programme, a regional official said. Rising U.S. military activity in the Middle East has fueled fears of a broader confrontation.
Iran’s negotiating position
Iran has said it will not make concessions on its ballistic missile programme, calling that a red line in negotiations. Tehran said it replenished its stockpile of ballistic missiles since coming under attack from Israel last year and warned it would use its missiles to defend the Islamic Republic if its security is under threat.
Agenda dispute and format of talks
The regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran had since the beginning stressed that it would only discuss its nuclear programme, while Washington wanted other issues on the agenda. A regional source said ministers from several other countries in the region, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, had been expected to attend, but Tehran wanted only bilateral talks with the U.S.
Military incidents and market reaction
Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S.-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday, the U.S. military said it shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
Trump comments and expected participants
Trump warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, amid mutual threats of air strikes. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters at the White House: “We are negotiating with them right now,” but did not elaborate and declined to say where he expected talks to take place. A source familiar with the situation said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was due to take part in the talks, along with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
What do you think the Oman talks will focus on most as tensions rise between Washington and Tehran?
