U.S. and Iran Hold Indirect Talks in Oman, Tehran Calls It a Good Start

The United States and Iran held indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, on Friday, with Omani mediation, according to Al Jazeera, CBS News and TRT World. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the meeting “a good start,” Al Jazeera and TRT reported, and said there is “a long way to go to build trust.”

The American delegation was led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Al Jazeera and CBS reported. Araghchi said an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation, according to Al Jazeera and TRT. Al Jazeera, TRT and CBS reported that the talks are expected to continue; Araghchi said a new round will take place “soon,” TRT reported, though no date has been set. Araghchi has said talks need a calm atmosphere without threats and pressure, Al Jazeera and CBS reported.

The gaps are wide. Araghchi said enrichment is Iran’s “inalienable right,” Al Jazeera and TRT reported, and he said the missile program is not negotiable because it is a defense matter. Washington and Israel want ballistic missiles and Iran’s support for regional militant groups added to the agenda, according to Al Jazeera, TRT and France 24, while Tehran has rejected widening the talks beyond the nuclear file.

Pressure from Washington has been mounting alongside diplomacy. After Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests in January, Trump sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, Al Jazeera and CBS reported. Araghchi warned that Iran would target U.S. military bases in the region if the United States attacks Iranian territory, according to Al Jazeera and TRT.

On Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian called the Oman meeting a “step forward” and said his government favors dialogue, TRT and Al Jazeera reported, in a later account.

The backdrop is the January unrest. Iranian authorities acknowledge 3,117 deaths in the protests, Al Jazeera and France 24 reported in later accounts. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has documented nearly 7,000 deaths, according to both outlets, and Al Jazeera said it could not verify any of the figures. CBS said the crackdown killed thousands.