U.S. and Iran To Hold Nuclear Talks in Oman Amid Rising Tensions
Talks are scheduled Friday in Muscat, Oman, after a U.S. F-35C shot down an Iranian drone and amid a regional naval buildup.
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Overview
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled for about 10 a.m. Friday in Muscat, Oman, after last‑minute venue changes.
The talks come amid high tensions following Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month and after U.S. Central Command said a U.S. F-35C shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
A White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the U.S. will participate in talks but said the administration remains "very skeptical" after several Arab and Muslim leaders urged the U.S. not to abandon negotiations.
U.S. military assets, including the aircraft carrier strike group centered on the USS Abraham Lincoln, have been positioned across the Middle East, and satellite imagery showed U.S. deployments at Duqm Airport in Oman, analysts said.
U.S. and Iranian officials dispute whether Iran's demand to limit the agenda to its nuclear program and to hold talks in Oman was fully resolved, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will press ballistic missiles, proxy support and treatment of Iranians if talks proceed.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the talks as fragile and dominated by security threats by foregrounding Iran's "bloody crackdown", military incidents (drone shootdown, missile bases), and skeptical U.S. officials—prioritizing U.S. perspectives and anonymous briefings. This editorial emphasis suggests mistrust and urgency; quoted Iranian conciliatory signals appear as source content, not reframed as certainty.
FAQ
The talks are proceeding in Muscat, Oman, at around 10 a.m. Friday after last-minute venue changes from Turkey, despite earlier reports of cancellation due to disagreements on location and agenda.
Iran requested the venue change from Turkey to Oman amid threats to pull out, and the U.S. Trump administration agreed, as reported in recent updates.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (also referred to as Abbasi), and President Trump's adviser Jared Kushner are expected to attend.
Iran insists on limiting talks to its nuclear program only, while the U.S. wants to include ballistic missiles, regional proxy support, and other issues like treatment of Iranians.
Tensions rose after a U.S. F-35C shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea near the USS Abraham Lincoln, Iran's crackdown on protests, and U.S. military buildup in the region including at Oman's Duqm Airport.
