Iran and the United States are set to hold crucial talks in the sultanate of Oman on Saturday in an attempt to rekindle negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
However, even before these discussions commence, a disagreement has arisen regarding the nature of the negotiations.
President Donald Trump has insisted that the negotiations will be direct, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that he will only be speaking indirectly through a mediator, U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
Although this difference may seem trivial, it carries significant weight.
Indirect talks have led to little progress since Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.
In the wake of that withdrawal, Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign targeting the country.
He has also reiterated that military action against Iran remains a possibility, even while advocating for a new deal through a letter sent to Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has cautioned that Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own.
The letter Trump’s administration sent to Khamenei serves as a point of discussion, indicating the complexity of U.S.-Iran relations.
On March 5, Trump sent this letter, and he acknowledged its existence the following day in a television interview.
He stated, “I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.’”
Since his return to the White House, Trump has simultaneously urged for talks while increasing sanctions and suggesting possible military strikes by Israel or the U.S. targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
A previous communication from Trump during his first term drew a strong rebuke from the Iranian supreme leader.
However, Trump’s letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his first term resulted in face-to-face meetings, although they yielded no substantial agreements to limit North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran’s reaction to the negotiations has been cautious at best.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has openly rejected the notion of direct negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.
He remarked, “We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far.
They must prove that they can build trust.”
Supreme Leader Khamenei appeared to respond to Trump’s renewed military threats, acknowledging the potential for external conflicts but expressing skepticism.
“They threaten to commit acts of mischief, but we are not entirely certain that such actions will take place,” Khamenei said.
He clarified that while an attack is not deemed highly likely, if it were to occur, Iran would respond with a formidable counterstrike.
Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, went further in condemning the threats.
“An open threat of ‘bombing’ by a Head of State against Iran is a shocking affront to the very essence of International Peace and Security,” he wrote on X, a social platform.
He added, “Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace.
The US can choose the course…; and concede to CONSEQUENCES.”
Moreover, state-owned Tehran Times reported without citing a source that Iran has “readied missiles with the capability to strike U.S.-related positions.”
This statement aligns with the stationing of stealth B-2 bombers by the U.S. in Diego Garcia, which are positioned within a striking distance of both Iran and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have been the target of U.S. strikes since March 15.
The tricky balance surrounding Iran’s nuclear program has long been a source of contention for Western nations.
Iran has maintained for decades that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, but its officials have increasingly threatened to pursue nuclear weapons.
Currently, Iran enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, distinguishing itself as the only country in the world lacking a formal nuclear weapons program to do so.
Under the terms of the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was permitted to enrich uranium to a maximum purity of 3.67% while maintaining a uranium stockpile capped at 300 kilograms (661 pounds).
The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency revealed that Iran’s stockpile now stands at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds), with a portion enriched to 60% purity.
While U.S. intelligence agencies indicate that Iran has not yet initiated an actual weapons program, they note that the country has undertaken various activities that could position it to produce a nuclear device should it choose to.
Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, clarified in a televised interview that Iran has the technical ability to develop nuclear weapons but hasn’t actively pursued such an agenda and supports the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspections.
However, he warned that an attack from the U.S. or Israel could compel Iran to move toward nuclear armament to protect itself.
“If you make a mistake regarding Iran’s nuclear issue, you will force Iran to take that path, because it must defend itself,” he said.
The deteriorating relations between Iran and the United States stem from a historical context that remains difficult to veer away from.
Once a key ally of the U.S. in the Mideast, Iran’s trajectory changed drastically following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which culminated in an anti-American sentiment.
The revolution led to the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was supported by the U.S. through military investments and covert support.
Later in 1979, Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, which ultimately led to the 444-day hostage crisis and severed diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Throughout the subsequent decades, U.S. support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War and military incidents, such as the shooting down of an Iranian passenger plane, have solidified enmity between both nations.
As negotiations appear to be at a fragile juncture, the upcoming meetings in Oman may be pivotal for the future of U.S.-Iran relations, which have experienced a turbulent and often confrontational history since 1979.
The situation continues to remain precarious, particularly with Iran’s nuclear ambitions prompting ongoing global concern.
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