The first talks between the United States and Iran took place in Oman. Actually, it should only be about an indirect exchange of positions – but in the end there was even a surprising encounter.
The US government and Iran have taken clothes into the Sultanate. In the end there was even a brief meeting of the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Iranian side had previously emphasized that the necessary distance would be preserved – to the representatives of a country that is being revealed as Satan in the propaganda of the Islamic Republic. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi said in Oman's capital Maskat: “It is clear at this point that the negotiations are indirect. And in our view it is also clear: it is all about the nuclear question.”
According to observers, the fear in Iran is that the United States pursues further demands as “only” the task of Iranian striving after the atomic bomb: the United States could also require an attitude of the Iranian rocket program and an end to support for militias in Arab states – such as the Huthi in Yemen.
Trump sends duplicate messages
These points were excluded in the nuclear agreement with Iran from 2015 – the international agreement had unilaterally announced US President Donald Trump during his first term and put sharp economic sanctions against Iran again.
Since he took office again, Trump has been doing a double message towards Tehran: We offer you negotiations – and if the failure should fail, we are ready for military intervention. Or as the spokeswoman of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, puts it: “All options are on the table. Iran has to decide: either he goes into the demands of President Trump, or hell will break off.”
Experts puzzle about the importance of threats
What that means – the experts have been puzzling about it for months. Is there a common Israeli-American attack on Iran? And what would the military goals be?
The Lebanese political scientist Mohammed al-Qawas says: “New phrases have appeared in American rhetoric. This time they speak of dismantling infrastructures. This is new.” Iran is weakened regionally, says Al-Qawas. “Tehran knows that and acts accordingly.”
And the Iran expert Masoud Elfak says on the television station Al Arabiya: “If the United States should decide to start attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities, I don't think Iran can fend off all of these attacks. But the United States could not switch off all Iranian atriums. Therefore, every military campaign in the USA would be tactical to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.”
Talks are to be continued next week
The signs are currently still on negotiations – positions were initially exchanged during the talks in Oman. Iran's Foreign Minister Araghtschi said: “This is the first meeting – we will first clarify fundamental questions – among other things – whether both sides have the will to negotiate. After that, there could be a schedule for it.”
The Iranian news agency Isna reports for more than two hours. After that, Witkoff and Araghtschi had briefly exchanged ideas in the presence of the Omani Foreign Minister. It was agreed to continue the talks in the coming week.
