“With a group of most experienced colleagues, we are heading to Muscat with a respected foreign minister,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmael Bhagihai wrote on X on Saturday morning.
“We are determined to use all our capabilities to protect Iran’s authority and national interests,” emphasized a senior Iranian diplomat.
On April 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said the Oman consultations are an opportunity to test the seriousness of the United States.
During his first term in 2018 and in his first term, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a previous agreement on Iran’s nuclear program (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)) and launched a maximum pressure campaign against the country.
Trump recovered that policy after returning to the White House for his second term in January, but he has since shown an appetite for a new deal to replace the JCPOA.
On March 12, Trump wrote to the leaders of the Islamic Revolution, and Ayatollah Seiyed Ali Khamenei threatens military action by asking for negotiations to reach a new deal if Tehran refuses.
Iran has ruled out direct negotiations with the US under pressure and threat, but says indirect talks are still an option.
MP/