Tehran, Iran – US and Iranian representatives are set to begin nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman’s capital.
“I want them to not have nuclear weapons. I want Iran to be a great, great and happy country, but they can’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump told Air Force reporters on his way to Florida Friday night.
White House spokesman Caroline Levitt also repeated the Trump administration’s favourite refrain, saying that if the president’s demands are not met, “there is all hell to pay.”
“We’ve made it very clear that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, and I think that’s what led to this meeting,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkov leads the US delegation, while the Iranians are led by Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut, who arrived in Oman on Saturday morning. He is accompanied by Vice-Chairman of Political Affairs, Majid Takuto Ravanchi, Vice-Chairman of International Affairs Kazem Galibabadi and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmail Bhagihai.
After meeting with Muscat’s Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busad al-Busadi, Aragut said Iran is considering reaching a “fair and dignified agreement” with the United States.
“If we have enough will, we will make a decision about the timetable for negotiations,” he said.
Trump and his officials have argued that the talks are “direct” and “in the same room,” while Tehran argued that the negotiations were indirect.
Iranian provincial television reported that Aragut did not take the opportunity to photograph with Trump’s envoy Witkov during his speech.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi will act as the chief mediator of the consultation.
“Be careful not to expect too much from this first meeting in Oman,” said James Bayes, Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor. “The important thing is that consultations don’t completely collapse and the process can be started.”
“Real Fair” deal
Iran and its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stress that the US is unreliable, and Iran should not sit directly with US officials as it unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 during its first term as president.
Prior to the talks, Senior Assistant Chief Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, said Tehran is seeking a “really fair” agreement with Washington.
“With just a show or speaking in front of the camera, Tehran is seeking a realistic and fair agreement.
The 2015 agreement saw severe restrictions on research and development in exchange for Iran’s uranium enrichment, nuclear material stockpiling, and lifting UN sanctions.
The US had imposed its toughest sanctions after refusing to trade in 2018. These sanctions were only exacerbated by Trump’s successor Joe Biden, causing a major blow to the economy and 90 million Iranians.
Iran’s currency continues to hover at its record low rates as a result of external pressure and local fraud control, but after news of Iran and US talks in Oman came out, it temporarily regained the lost ground last week and showed market enthusiasm for trading.
The 2015 agreement, namely the European powers of France, Britain and Germany, are imposing sanctions on Iran due to the nuclear advancements in the aftermath of Trump’s withdrawal and tensions over the Russian-Ukrain war.
The European Union said on Friday that there is “no alternative to diplomatic relations,” but Germany urged both sides to reach a “diplomatic solution.”
Other signatories of the contract, China and Russia, are opposed to Western efforts to pressure Iran through a denunciation solution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They have developed closer political and military ties with Tehran.
Iran warned that if Western countries successfully pose their threats, they would abandon the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and expel all remaining IAEA nuclear inspectors.
Trump and his officials, along with Israeli supreme leaders, repeatedly warned that if they disagree with their demands for the nuclear program, Iran would be bombed widely.
They suggest that private infrastructure such as major nuclear facilities, refineries and power plants will be attacked in case negotiations fail.
On Thursday, Washington imposed additional sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil network and nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with Trump about the so-called “Libyan model” to address Iran’s nuclear program. In other words, he is seeking complete dismantling and surrendering of all nuclear capabilities.
However, Tehran continues to be rebellious, claiming that the nuclear knowledge and development acquired over decades will not be bombed or destroyed.
The nuclear programme is strictly peaceful and directed towards civilian use, like the power generation and production of radioactive drugs, but shows that Iranian facilities can seek bombs in the face of “existential threats.”
The Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) are holding large-scale exercises and testing a variety of defensive and offensive weapons in an attempt to strengthen and prepare for long conflicts when necessary.
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