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The United States and Iran to soon commence crucial nuclear talks in Oman on Saturday, April 11, marking the first significant diplomatic engagement between the long-time adversaries in a decade. The high-stakes meeting comes against the backdrop of rising tensions, with US President Donald Trump issuing fresh warnings of potential military strikes should negotiations fail, and Tehran cautioning that any attack could spark a wider Middle Eastern conflict.
The talks, due to be hosted in Oman’s capital Muscat, will bring together a US delegation led by Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and an Iranian team headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. While the US has called for direct negotiations, Iran insists the discussions will remain indirect, facilitated by regional mediators.
Diplomacy Under Pressure
President Trump has set a two-month deadline for Iran to accept a new nuclear agreement that would significantly scale back or dismantle its nuclear activities. “I want Iran to be a wonderful, happy country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump stated while speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday.
The negotiations take place at a time of strategic vulnerability for Iran. In recent months, the Islamic Republic has faced a series of setbacks, including Israeli strikes against its regional proxies, the fall of Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, and unprecedented security breaches within its own borders.
Trump, who has not yet named a full Iran negotiating team, has tasked Witkoff — already involved in delicate ceasefire efforts between Russia and Ukraine and hostage negotiations in Gaza — to lead what US officials describe as a last-ditch effort to avert conflict.
“If it requires military [action], we’re going to have military,” Trump warned earlier this week, adding that Israel would take a lead role should hostilities break out.
Deepening Mistrust, Diverging Goals
Iran has outlined firm preconditions for the talks, rejecting any negotiations conducted under threat or pressure, and ruling out discussions involving its defense industry or ballistic missile program. Iranian officials have dismissed any proposal requiring a complete dismantlement of its nuclear capabilities as unacceptable.
Since the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and the subsequent imposition of sweeping sanctions, Iran has expanded its nuclear program significantly. It now possesses more than 8,200 kg of enriched uranium and has enriched material up to 60% purity — dangerously close to weapons-grade levels.
Dan Shapiro, a former senior US diplomat, called the situation “extraordinarily challenging,” noting that any agreement meeting the US’s long-held objective — preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — would likely require “the dismantlement of Iran’s enrichment program, the export of its stockpiles, and intrusive inspections.”
Iranian leaders, however, remain adamant. “We will not negotiate away our sovereign right to peaceful nuclear technology,” said Hamid-Reza Taraghi, a hardline Iranian politician, who added that Iran seeks to demonstrate its openness to dialogue while entering talks with “complete distrust.”
A Fragile Opening
Diplomatic sources indicate that prospects for meaningful progress remain slim, though the meeting may serve as an important test of whether further negotiations are feasible. A significant sticking point remains Iran’s demand for the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian oil funds held in Qatari accounts, which Tehran views as a prerequisite for advancing talks.
Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, emphasized the complexities ahead. “Iran wants to show it’s negotiating on relatively equal terms,” she said. “They need to demonstrate they’ve secured something tangible from Trump.”
Witkoff, an unconventional figure in US diplomacy, is navigating an intricate set of challenges, as regional tensions, deep-seated mistrust, and conflicting objectives weigh heavily on both sides.
US officials are tempering expectations. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce described the meeting as “a focused attempt to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” rather than a comprehensive negotiation.
Analysts warn that without substantial incentives or meaningful diplomatic overtures, the risk of escalation remains high. “It’s a now-or-never moment,” Vakil said. “But whether the Iranian system is prepared to compromise remains to be seen.”
