Special envoy Steve Witkov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araguchi Omani spoke mainly indirectly in the first exchange facilitated by Oman.
Following the initial meeting on April 12, Iran and the US envoy agreed to continue consultations aimed at restraining Tehran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Envoy Steve Witkov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci spoke primarily indirectly in the first exchange mediated by Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusadi.
Witkov and Aragut also briefly spoke to each other face to face, according to a statement released by Iranian state television, the event marking the first direct consultation between the two countries since the Obama administration.
The next lecture is scheduled to be held in one week on April 19th.
The first exchange took place over two hours in a place on the outskirts of Muscat’s Oman capital.
Araguchi also described the meeting as constructive in an interview with Iranian provincial television, saying that four rounds of messages were exchanged in the indirect portion.
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“I think we’re very close to the basis for negotiations. If we can conclude this foundation next week, we’ll come a long way and start a real discussion based on that,” he said.
“Neither we nor the other side are interested in fruitless negotiations. Both sides, including Americans, say their goal is to reach an agreement in the shortest possible time.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghhai quickly wrote on social media that the first meeting would provide a forum for both parties to establish opinions and positions on various issues.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci (L) will meet Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusadi before negotiations with US Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov, held in Muscat, Oman on April 12, 2025. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP
Ali Shamhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote in a post on X that Tehran has prepared a “important and practical” proposal to begin negotiations on the nuclear program.
“If Washington comes to consultations with a sincere intention and true will to reach agreement, the path to the transaction will be clear and smooth,” Shamhani said.
The White House similarly issued a statement describing the speech as “very positive and constructive.”
“Envoy Witkov emphasized that Dr. Aragut has had directions from President Trump to resolve the differences between our two countries through dialogue and diplomacy, where possible,” a White House statement said. “These issues are extremely complicated and Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward to achieving mutually beneficial results.”
President Donald Trump has hampered the acquisition of nuclear weapons Tehran, making it a priority for his foreign policy platform.
Since then, Trump has doubled his stance that the US “can’t have them (Iran) with nuclear weapons” and threatened to use military action against Iran if the deal does not reach it.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombings and bombing things they’ve never seen before,” Trump wrote in a social media post on March 30.
The US can now provide sanctions relief for Iran’s troubling economy and prisoner interactions, but it remains unclear how willing Iran will admit it, given its hostility towards the US and shutting down its US ally Israel.
There are concerns that the administration will be able to accelerate the creation of nuclear warheads in a short period of time.
To that end, a report released at the beginning of the year by the UN nuclear observer suggests that Iran has accelerated production of nearby weapon-grade uranium to the extent that Tehran is likely to produce around half a dozen warheads if it were to choose.
