Iran, US to hold nuclear talks in Muscat on Friday: FM

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States are scheduled to take place in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday morning.

In a post on X, the top diplomat said the talks are set for around 10 a.m., expressing appreciation to Oman for facilitating the meeting and making the necessary arrangements.

Earlier, Iranian media reports said the negotiations would focus exclusively on Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program and the lifting of sanctions, with no discussion of other issues.

Araghchi is expected to lead the Iranian delegation, which will include senior diplomats Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi. The United States will be represented by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the reports.

The talks, the reports added, would be held indirectly, with Oman acting as mediator.

The new round of negotiations was initially planned to take place in Istanbul, but the venue was changed to Muscat at Iran’s request.

The format of the talks will mirror previous rounds held before the unlawful US-Israeli war on Iran last June, which derailed the diplomatic process.

Araghchi and Witkoff led five rounds of nuclear negotiations last year, but talks were suspended after the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression just two days before a planned sixth round.

The aggression, later joined by the United States, resulted in more than a thousand deaths in Iran and caused damage to civilian, military, and scientific infrastructure.

Tehran has repeatedly emphasized that any talks with Washington must remain confined to the nuclear issue, ruling out negotiations over the country’s missile program or regional influence.

Iranian officials have also said negotiations could only be productive if conducted in an atmosphere free from threats and illogical or illegal demands.

High-ranking officials, including senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani have reiterated that respect and realism were essential prerequisites for progress in talks with the United States.

The upcoming negotiations come amid heightened tensions in West Asia and an increased US military presence in the region.

In early January, President Donald Trump threatened Iran with attacks if the country harmed “peaceful protesters.” Days later, coordinated attacks targeted police stations and military bases as well as civilians and civilian infrastructure in several Iranian cities, prompting a security response.

According to Iranian officials, the attacks were aimed at causing mass casualties and destabilizing urban centers as a prelude to fresh American aggression towards the Islamic Republic.

Ever since Trump’s new threats, Iranian authorities, including top brass, have sternly warned Washington and its allies against perpetrating any renewed miscalculation concerning the Islamic Republic, reminding that the level of the country’s military preparedness has exceeded the pre-war period.

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