WNAM REPORT: Headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian negotiating delegation left Tehran for Muscat on Saturday morning to hold indirect talks with US representatives.
“Together with a group of our most experienced colleagues, we are heading to Muscat, accompanied by the esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X on Saturday morning.
“We are determined to use all capacities to protect Iran’s authority and national interests,” the senior Iranian diplomat stressed.
On April 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Oman talks are an opportunity to test the seriousness of the US, “which has a long history of non-commitment and unilateralism.”
In 2018 and during his first term in office, US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States 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 restored that policy after returning to the White House for a second term in January, but he has since signaled a willingness to make a new deal to replace the JCPOA.
On March 12, Trump sent a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, asking for negotiations to reach a new deal and threatening military action if Tehran refused.
Iran has ruled out direct negotiations with the US under pressure and threats but says indirect talks remain an option.
