Washington and Tehran agreed to resume stalled nuclear discussions in Muscat after regional allies pressed both sides to keep diplomatic channels open.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran will proceed Friday in Oman after last-minute diplomatic efforts prevented a collapse of talks that had been in doubt earlier this week, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
The meeting is scheduled to take place in Muscat after Iran rejected an earlier plan to convene in Istanbul and requested a change in venue and format, a development first reported by Axios. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed the new location Wednesday in a post on X, saying talks with the United States would begin Friday morning and thanking Omani officials for facilitating the session.
U.S. and Iranian representatives had initially agreed to meet in Turkey with several Middle Eastern countries present as observers. Iranian officials later insisted the talks be moved to Oman and limited to a bilateral format, arguing that broader participation risked diverting the discussions away from nuclear issues. U.S. officials briefly rejected the request, prompting reports that the meeting had been canceled, before reversing course following consultations with regional partners.
“We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘OK, then nothing,’” a senior U.S. official told Axios. The official added that Washington wants to reach a substantive agreement quickly and is unwilling to prolong talks without progress.
The uncertainty surrounding the negotiations coincided with heightened U.S. military activity in the region, including the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, intensifying concerns among neighboring countries that the diplomatic track could give way to military escalation.
According to U.S. officials, leaders from at least nine Arab and Muslim countries contacted Washington at senior levels, urging the administration to proceed with the talks. One official said the appeals emphasized the importance of hearing Iran’s position before abandoning negotiations.
A second U.S. official told Axios the Trump administration agreed to move forward with the meeting largely to maintain confidence among regional allies and to keep diplomacy viable, despite ongoing skepticism about Iran’s intentions.
The Muscat talks mark the latest attempt to revive negotiations aimed at addressing Iran’s nuclear program, with both sides signaling that while dialogue will continue, the window for a negotiated outcome remains uncertain.
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