Nuclear weapons meeting – without meeting: “Hostile rhetoric”

Iran 

US and Iran meet in Oman – probably without meeting

Anna Sjögren

Updated 11.05 | Published 10.46

Trump has threatened war if Iran and the US cannot agree on a new nuclear energy agreement between the countries.

Today, the countries meet in Oman for talks on Iran's nuclear energy program – probably without meeting.

The mediators are expected to run between the delegations to convey their message.
 

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• The US and Iran meet in Oman for talks on Iran's nuclear energy program, but the countries are not expected to have direct meetings, but negotiations will take place via mediators.
• Trump threatens military intervention if no agreement is reached within 60 days, as he demands that Iran dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
• Iran wants US-led sanctions lifted and calls for clear guarantees for a new agreement to hold.

The talks on Iran's nuclear program will take place in the Omani capital Muscat on Saturday.

The US delegation is led by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, who has just left Moscow and talks on Ukraine with President Putin.

The Iranian delegation is led by the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi.

Ahead of the talks, the tone has been high on the American side. President Trump has said that an agreement must be reached within 60 days, otherwise a military response from the US awaits and Iran will be bombed "in a way they have never experienced before".

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Witkoff draws a red line. That Iran must not develop nuclear weapons and that it must be guaranteed that they are not working on building a bomb. According to some analysts, the country could be months or a year away from being able to do just that.

- I think our position starts with dismantling your program, he summed up the message he has with the Iranian negotiators.

– That does not mean that we will not be able to find other ways to compromise between our countries.

Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if no agreement is reached within 60 days. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Iran, for its part, wants the US-led sanctions against the country to be lifted. And very clear guarantees that an agreement will hold, writes TT, referring to AFP. The US should be grateful that Iran is coming to the meeting, despite “their hostile rhetoric,” says Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry ahead of the meeting.

– We plan to evaluate the intentions and sincerity of the other side on Saturday and adjust our next steps accordingly, he says.

According to Al Jazeera, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that his country neither wants a war nor a nuclear bomb.

The relationship between the US and Iran is anything but good. According to Steve Witkoff, today's meeting will be about building trust between the countries.

Trump has demanded direct talks, face to face, while Iran wants to see indirect talks. But it is likely that the parties will not meet during today's meeting. According to the Washington Post, the delegations are expected to sit in separate rooms with Omani mediators running between the rooms with their messages.

Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP