Nuclear Talks Smooth, Attack on Iran Could Be Delayed Another Week

MUSCAT, SATURDAY—The planned attack by two nuclear-armed nations, the United States and Israel, on Iran is likely to be postponed by another week. The postponement follows the smooth progress of negotiations between the Washington D.C. and Tehran delegations in Muscat, Oman.

Gathering in separate rooms on Saturday afternoon (12/4/2025) Muscat time, the two delegations exchanged letters. The letters were delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman.

The U.S. President's Special Envoy for Middle Eastern Affairs, Steve Witkoff, led the U.S. delegation. Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation was led by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi.

Witkoff and Aragchi crossed paths and exchanged greetings at the meeting venue after the negotiations concluded. "Both parties are serious about demonstrating their desire for a fair and proper agreement," said Aragchi.

He said the US and Iran agreed on the basics of the next meeting. Delegations from both countries are scheduled to hold talks again next week.

The US and Iran both issued written statements after the meeting, calling it “constructive” and “positive.”

The term is often used by diplomats to describe discussions without any agreement other than the parties' consent to continue communicating. The term is also frequently used to describe meetings filled with demands from one party to another.

The US and Iran opted for a written format of negotiations to ensure that all matters during the discussions are documented. If any part is omitted by one party, the other party still retains a complete record of the negotiation process.

Before the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran if no agreement could be reached. Furthermore, the U.S. had already deployed two naval strike groups led by two aircraft carriers, namely USS Harry Truman and USS Carl Vinson, near Iran.

USS Carl Vinson and USS Harry Truman carry fighter jets capable of reaching Iran. In recent weeks, F/A-18 fighter jets on the deck of Harry Truman have repeatedly bombed Yemen.

US media, Newsweek, reported that the US continues to add bombers and air tankers to Diego Garcia Island. The British island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is a US base. It is 4,210 kilometers from Bandar Abas, an Iranian city on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the B-52 can fly up to 14,000 kilometers.

On various occasions, many parties have expressed concerns that Iran might close the Strait of Hormuz if subjected to a large-scale attack by the US and Israel. Such a closure could halt up to 30 percent of oil supplies to the global market.

Iranian media outlet Tehran Times reported that the deployment of US warplanes was not the reason Tehran agreed to hold talks in Muscat. Trump's letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the reason Iran agreed to hold talks again.

In the letter, Trump wants to negotiate with a focus on the nuclear program only. There is no discussion of military and foreign policy. On various occasions, Tehran has always stated that Iran's nuclear program is negotiable.

Tehran Times sources said Iran came to Oman with high skepticism. "We will not continue to tolerate. Even on the nuclear issue, the US must be realistic. If they want us to limit the program without offering meaningful concessions, then no (nuclear restrictions) will never happen," said the official who declined to be identified.

The US, the official said, must decide whether to seek a deal or go to war. “We are not looking for war. But we are not afraid of it if we have to,” the official added.

The meeting in Muscat was the first US-Iran talks in Trump's second term. In Trump's first term, there were no Tehran-Washington talks.

In fact, Trump even pulled the US out of the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) in 2018. The US also imposed various additional sanctions on Iran after that.

In a statement several years after the US left the JCPOA, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that he persuaded Trump to leave the deal. Israel, the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, does not want any other country in the region to have nuclear weapons technology. Israel has repeatedly attacked other Middle Eastern countries that have tried to develop nuclear bombs.

Iran has been repeatedly attacked by Israel because of its nuclear program. Iranian nuclear experts have been killed. Meanwhile, Iran's reactors and various nuclear facilities have been attacked in various ways.

In the midst of this situation, the US tried to return to negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue. In the Joe Biden era, there were a series of indirect negotiations. All without results.

Iran, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), continues to increase its nuclear enrichment levels. From a maximum of 20 percent, Iran has been able to enrich uranium beyond 60 percent. To be able to be used as a bomb, uranium must be enriched to at least 90 percent.

On the other hand, the US also continues to increase sanctions on Iran. Last week, five institutions and an Iranian individual became the latest targets of US sanctions.

Chatham House Middle East researcher Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi said the first meeting in Muscat was an initial communication bridge. The meeting helped the parties understand each other's desires. "It must be remembered that there has been no direct US-Iran communication for a long time," he told US media, NBC.

Iran is now in a different situation than it was in 2016 or 2023, he said, referring to the period when Trump began his campaign and when Iran still had a strong network of militia groups in the region. “A lot has happened in the past 1.5 years,” he said, referring to the weakening of Iran-backed groups in the region.

Former member of the Iranian negotiating team, Hossein Mousavian, agreed with Tabrizi. Israel's attacks on its rivals caused Iran to lose its militia network stretching from Iraq to Lebanon.

The leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and other resistance groups were killed. The organizations are now busy reorganizing amidst the relentless attacks by Israel.

With that condition, Mousavian, is less sure that a major US-Iran war will occur if the Oman talks fail. However, he remains wary of the desire of Trump supporters and the Israeli government to attack Iran.

Former British MI6 Director Richard Dearlove said Trump is making very high demands in the talks. Trump, according to the British intelligence official, will demand that Iran also destroy its civilian nuclear program.

That is to ensure that Iran has no nuclear capability whatsoever. "The US and Israel want Iran to have no nuclear capability whatsoever for any reason," he said.

The demand will be difficult to fulfill. Khamenei has repeatedly said that Iran will not give up its nuclear program. Iran does not want to be like Libya, which was helpless after agreeing to stop its nuclear program.

Former Libyan leader Moamer Ghadafy was ousted by the US and its allies years after agreeing to abandon Libya's nuclear program. The agreement did not result in the US and its allies easing sanctions on Libya.

Despite refusing to give up the nuclear, Khamenei still allowed negotiations on the issue. Aragchi, who has long been involved in negotiating the issue, was given authority by Khamenei to defend Iran's interests in the nuclear negotiations.

The Sultanate of Oman has repeatedly acted as a mediator in regional peace talks. The US-Iran talks are just one of those mediations.

Oman has long been a bridge between Iran and the West. Muscat has repeatedly brokered the release of Western nationals from Iranian prisons.

“The current focus is on reducing regional tensions, prisoner exchanges and a limited agreement to ease sanctions (on Iran) in return for monitoring Iran’s nuclear program,” an Omani foreign ministry source told Reuters.

The US has offered to ease economic sanctions on Iran, which is currently struggling economically. But it is not clear how far Iran is willing to reduce its uranium enrichment capacity. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)