US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday imposing a 25 per cent tariff on imports from any country that “directly or indirectly” buys goods from Iran, hours after the first round of nuclear talks concluded in Oman.
The White House said the measure is intended to deter third countries from maintaining commercial ties with Iran, particularly in energy, metals and petrochemicals, sectors that remain leading sources of revenue for the Iranian government.
The move came after negotiations between Iran and the US in Oman concluded on Friday afternoon, with Tehran describing the high-stakes talks as “positive” and saying there was “near-consensus” on continuing the dialogue in the coming days.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were leading the indirect talks, with Oman acting as mediator.
“The atmosphere was positive, and it was a good start,” said Mr Araghchi, after meetings lasting about eight hours in Muscat. He said there was a “near-consensus” on continuing talks, but the timing and format had yet to be decided.
But the Iranian Foreign Minister added that “the subject of our talks is strictly nuclear, and we are not discussing any other issues with the Americans”. The US had called for wider discussions to address Iran's ballistic missile arsenal and its support for armed groups around the Middle East.
Mr Araghchi said both parties listened to each other's viewpoints through the Omani mediator. “We have to have more consultations in different capitals,” he said, while urging that “trust must be there”.
“If we can go along with this positive path, I can say that we can reach a positive framework regarding the nuclear talks, but I don't want to judge now at the very beginning,” he said.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi also held separate meetings with Mr Araghchi and Mr Witkoff. The consultations focused on “preparing the appropriate conditions for resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations”, said the ministry.
Mr Al Busaidi described the talks as “very serious” in a post on X, and said “it was useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress”.
“We aim to reconvene in due course, with the results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington,” he added.
The UAE welcomed the US-Iran talks which the Foreign Ministry in a statement on Saturday said are a “positive step” reflecting efforts towards dialogue and de-escalation. The UAE also praised Oman's role in “creating a conducive environment for dialogue”.
In a meeting with Mr Araghchi on Saturday in Doha, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman also welcomed the negotiations and said he hoped they would lead to a "comprehensive agreement" to enhance regional security, the Qatari news agency reported.
Jared Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law, and US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper also took part in the discussions between Washington and Tehran, according to Iranian media.
Stakes were high amid fears that a failure in the negotiations could ignite a large-scale war in the Middle East. A diplomatic push by Arab and Gulf states helped to keep the meeting in Muscat on track, after disagreements over the format and venue threatened to derail it.
Washington wants the talks to go beyond the nuclear issue 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 his Omani counterpart before the negotiations. He thanked Muscat for its mediation efforts and indicated 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, sources said.
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 initially comment for this story but after publication issued a short statement.
“This is false,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said.
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 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 made ready 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.”
