A new round of backchannel diplomacy between the United States and Iran has stirred fresh hope for progress on nuclear negotiations, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Held in the Omani capital, the talks featured both direct and indirect exchanges between White House Middle East envoy Steve Whitecoff and Iranian officials.
A senior American official told the Associated Press that the talks ended on a positive note, with both delegations agreeing to continue discussions in an effort to resolve outstanding technical issues. The official describe the atmosphere as cautiously optimistic.
Echoing this sentiment, Iran’s Foreign Minister described the dialogue as deeper and more sincere than in previous rounds, suggesting a potential thaw in what has long been a tense and unpredictable diplomatic relationship.
Reuters also quoted a U.S. source saying that Whitecoff engaged in “ldetailed discussions with Iranian counterparts, and that both parties agreed on a framework for future negotiations aimed at clarifying compliance and constraints within the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqai tweeted that Iran is ready to continue down the diplomatic path to maintain its nuclear activities within internationally accepted limits.
The renewed diplomatic push comes just a week after former President Donald Trump commented on the issue during an NBC interview. Trump reiterated his goal of completely dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, though he acknowledged openness to Iran retaining nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.