Trump envoys met directly with Iran foreign minister in Oman
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Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Muscat, Oman. Photo: Oman Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty
The U.S. and Iran held several hours of nuclear negotiations in Oman on Friday, and officials from both countries indicated they expect further meetings in the coming days.
- During the talks, Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met directly with Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, two sources briefed on the meeting said.
Why it matters: These were the first face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Iran since the 12-day war last June. They take place amid a massive U.S. military buildup in the Gulf, and with President Trump warning he could pivot to military action if a deal can't be reached quickly.
Driving the news: The talks in Muscat started at 10am local time and ended around 6pm, with Oman mediating between the two sides.
- The U.S. team included Witkoff, Kushner and CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper.
- The Iranian team included Araghchi and several of his deputies. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Bousaidi was the principal mediator.
Between the lines: Iran has insisted during most previous meetings on communicating with the U.S. only through mediators, rather than negotiating directly.
- That was the format for some of Friday's meeting, but the officials also spoke directly, according to the two sources.
Behind the scenes: The negotiations were nearly called off earlier in the week, but went ahead after frenzied diplomatic efforts by several countries in the region to lower the risk of regional war.
What they're saying: Al-Bousaidi described the talks as "very serious" and noted that both Iran and the U.S. "clarified their thinking and identified areas for possible progress."
- Araghchi said the talks took place in a "very positive atmosphere" and the views of each side were heard.
- He said he'd emphasized to the Americans that the negotiations "must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats."
- There have been no official statements from the U.S. about how the talks went.
The intrigue: The U.S. wanted to negotiate on two tracks: the nuclear issue on the one hand, and a broader range of issues including missiles and Iran's proxy network on the other.
- But according to Araghchi, only the nuclear issue was discussed. "We do not discuss any other issues with the Americans," he told state media.
- The U.S. also acceded to Iran's demand to move the talks from Turkey to Oman and to exclude other Middle Eastern countries that had intended to participate as observers.
- U.S. officials said ahead of the talks that they had agreed to Iran's preferred format in order to hear the Iranians out, but that they were skeptical that a breakthrough was possible.
Meanwhile, the U.S. announced new sanctions on Friday related to Iran's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.
What's next: A U.S. official told Axios that a second round of talks is expected in the coming days.
- "It was a good start, but its continuation depends on consultations we need to conduct in our capitals and deciding how to proceed," Araghchi said.
