Tehran:Iran’s Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday that Tehran and Washington will engage in indirect high-level negotiations in Oman this coming Saturday. The development marks a significant diplomatic moment amid ongoing tensions between the two nations.
The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly revealed that discussions with Iran were underway. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the meeting via a statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks,” Araghchi stated. “It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court.”
While details regarding the specific agenda of the talks have not been disclosed, diplomatic sources suggest that the discussions are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including regional security, nuclear commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the lifting of economic sanctions.
The format of the talks will be indirect, meaning representatives from the two countries will not engage in face-to-face meetings but will instead communicate through mediators, a practice that has been used in previous diplomatic engagements between Tehran and Washington.
Oman, known for its neutral foreign policy and history of mediating between adversarial nations, will host the discussions. The Gulf nation has previously facilitated behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Iran and the U.S., particularly during the early stages of negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
The announcement has drawn global attention, with analysts viewing the upcoming talks as a potential turning point in U.S.-Iran relations, which have been strained since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and the subsequent imposition of crippling sanctions on Iran.
Whether this diplomatic opening will lead to a renewed understanding remains uncertain. As Araghchi emphasized, the outcome of the talks largely depends on Washington’s willingness to take meaningful steps toward resolving the longstanding impasse.