US and Iran to Hold Nuclear Talks in Oman Amid Rising Middle East Tensions

The United States and Iran are set to hold talks in Oman on Friday focusing on Iran’s nuclear programme, as efforts intensify to de-escalate growing tensions in the Middle East, a regional official said.
According to the official, the discussions were initially planned to take place in Turkey but were moved to Oman at Iran’s request. Tehran has made it clear that it wants the talks strictly confined to nuclear issues, rejecting any discussion on its ballistic missile programme or its regional activities.
Iran has consistently maintained that its missile programme is non-negotiable and considers it a red line linked to national security. Iranian officials have recently reiterated that the country will not make concessions on missile capabilities and warned that Tehran would not hesitate to use them if its security is threatened. Iran also said it has replenished its missile stockpiles following Israeli strikes last year.
While Iran prefers a narrow agenda focused solely on nuclear matters, the United States is reportedly interested in raising additional issues during the talks, including regional security concerns.
Reuters reported that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, may take part in the discussions. Iran is expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Although representatives from several countries — including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — were initially expected to attend, Iran pushed for the talks to be held on a strictly bilateral basis between Tehran and Washington.