A top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has held talks in Oman as Tehran and Washington prepare for a new round of negotiations aimed at avoiding fresh conflict. Oman hosted indirect talks between Iran and the United States last week, which Tehran says showed enough common ground to keep diplomacy alive.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the discussions in Oman allowed Iran to gauge how serious the US is about reaching an agreement. He said Ali Larijani’s visit to Muscat was planned in advance and that the senior adviser would travel next to Qatar, another key Gulf mediator.
The latest contacts come after President Donald Trump sent a US naval flotilla to the region, raising fears of possible military action against Iran. Trump had threatened to intervene during a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran last year but eventually held back.
Oman’s state news agency reported that Larijani and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq discussed ways to reach a balanced and just agreement between Iran and the US. They stressed the need to return to dialogue to bridge differences and promote regional and global peace and security.
The date and venue of the next round of Iran US talks have not yet been announced. Washington wants any deal to go beyond the nuclear issue and include limits on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, one of the largest in the Middle East.
Tehran says its missile arsenal is non negotiable and has been rebuilt since last year’s 12 day bombing campaign by Israel and the US. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to urge Trump in Washington to push for restrictions on Iran’s missiles as part of any agreement.
Baghaei said the US must act independently of outside pressure, especially from Israel, which he accused of ignoring both regional and American interests. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has insisted Iran will demand the lifting of financial sanctions and retain its right to peaceful nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment.
Washington wants Iran to give up its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, close to weapons grade. Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said the country could consider diluting this material only if all sanctions are lifted in return.
US Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Armenia, said Trump will ultimately decide where to draw red lines in the negotiations. Iran and the US held five rounds of talks last year that collapsed over disagreements on enrichment inside Iran, though Tehran says it has halted enrichment since US strikes on its nuclear facilities and maintains its programme is peaceful.
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