(April 27, 2026)
Sources close to these diplomatic efforts told Al Jazeera that senior intelligence officials from several countries were present at the Muscat talks.
Archiv: Muscat (city)
Iran’s top security official to visit Oman ahead of next round of nuclear talks with US
Ali Larijani, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, will meet with senior Omani officials to discuss the latest regional and international developments, as well as bilateral cooperation, the report said.
The visit takes on added significance as Iran and the US prepare for the next round of negotiations, which resumed in Muscat on Friday after nearly eight months of suspension.
Iran and US hold indirect talks in Oman. America’s military leader in the Mideast joins the talks
The presence of U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the military’s Central Command, in his dress uniform at the talks in Muscat, the Omani capital, served as a reminder that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships were now off the coast of Iran in the Arabian Sea.
A positive Muscat start, but will it end well?
Iran‘s foreign ministry characterized the indirect discussions with the U.S. in Oman as „constructive“ and generally „positive“ in a statement released shortly after the talks concluded. The discussions centered on Iran‘s nuclear program and Washington’s sanctions against the country.
Emphasizing the indirect nature of the talks, the statement noted that the Iranian and American delegations were situated in separate halls for the two-and-a-half-hour negotiation, communicating through written messages. At the end of the session, Iran‘s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff had a brief face-to-face encounter and “exchanged greetings out of courtesy” as they departed.
Iran, US complete first round of ‘constructive’ nuclear talks in Oman
Middle East envoy Steve Wiktoff, alongside U.S. Ambassador to Oman Ana Escrogima, spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting that was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidy.
The two sides started talking at about 3:30 p.m. local time and finished at around 5:50 p.m. They were held just outside of Muscat, the capital of Oman.