Iran and the US are holding crucial talks in Muscat on Friday, amid fears that failure in the high-stakes negotiations could ignite a massive war in the Middle East.
A diplomatic push by Arab and Gulf states helped to keep the meeting on track, after disagreements over the format and venue threatened to derail it.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are leading the indirect talks, with Oman acting as mediator. Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper are also participating in the discussions, according to Iranian media.
The sides have so far held two separate rounds of talks, state news agency Mehr reported.
Washington wants the talks to go beyond the nuclear file to include Tehran’s missile programme, its backing of regional armed groups and its domestic record, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. Iran, however, has said the Muscat talks should be limited to nuclear issues.
"Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year," Mr Araghchi wrote on X. "We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights. Commitments need to be honoured. Equal standing, mutual respect and mutual interest are not rhetoric – they are a must and the pillars of a durable agreement."
The Iranian foreign minister met with his Omani counterpart, Badr Al Busaidi, ahead of the negotiations. He thanked Muscat for its mediation efforts and signalled an openness to diplomacy to secure Iran's national interests, while maintaining "full readiness to defend the country's sovereignty and national security against any excessive demands", Mehr news agency reported.
Even as the US engages in diplomatic talks with Iran, the White House is seeking input from prominent Iranian Americans who could assist in any transition should supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei be toppled.
A source close to American efforts to find an alternative to the current regime in Iran told The National that Mr Kushner is closely involved. He is helping to assemble a group of Iranian-American business leaders to advise on the formation of some sort of transitional entity to help govern Iran in the event of the regime's collapse, the source said.
A second source also said Mr Kushner is involved. The White House did not comment for this story.
The first source, who is involved in the White House discussions, also said the Trump administration wants to convene a meeting of Iranian opposition figures in Palm Beach, Florida, where the President's Mar-a-Lago estate is located. The meeting could happen as soon as this weekend but logistics are complex. It was not clear whether organisers want it to take place at Mar-a-Lago or nearby, the source added.
Mr Trump is considering several divergent paths for Iran, each with political risk and geopolitical uncertainty.
In June, the US struck Iranian nuclear sites, joining in the final stages of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran has since said its uranium enrichment work has stopped. Tehran's leadership remains deeply concerned that Mr Trump may still carry out his threats to strike Iran amid a build-up by the US Navy near Iran.
Mr Trump has warned that "bad things" could happen if there is no deal, increasing pressure on Iran in a stand-off that has led to mutual threats. Tehran has warned it would respond harshly to any military strike with a regional war.
Hours before the talks, Iran's state TV reported that "one of the country's most advanced long-range ballistic missiles, the Khorramshahr 4", had been deployed at one of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' vast underground missile complexes.
In another move, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Ali Shamkhani as secretary of the Supreme Defence Council, placing a veteran security figure at the helm of a body designed to centralise military decision-making in times of war or national emergency.
The US, meanwhile, urged citizens to leave Iran immediately. "Leave Iran now. Have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on US government help," the US embassy website said in a post. "If you cannot leave, find a secure location within your residence or another safe building. Have a supply of food, water, medications and other essential items."
