WASHINGTON
The US and Iran are set to meet in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday as both sides confirmed the talks amid continued disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program and broader concerns about the risk of armed confrontation.
The talks come amid renewed tensions between the US and Iran, fueled by an American military buildup in the Persian Gulf and repeated threats of military action by US President Donald Trump.
As the talks begin, below we review the positions of the relevant parties, providing context on the purpose and possible trajectory of the negotiations.
US
The US, along with its ally Israel, accuses Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons.
Trump’s core position is that Iran must be prevented from acquiring a nuclear weapon, because if it succeeds, other countries in the region would rapidly do the same, US Vice President JD Vance told American journalist Megan Kelly in an interview.
Vance said he expects Trump to pursue non-military solutions whenever possible before adding that if the president deems recourse to military action necessary, “then he’s ultimately going to choose that option.”
Trump also repeatedly threatened military action against Iran amid rising tensions between the two countries following anti-government protests across Iran in late December.
For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that any negotiations with Iran must address more than just its nuclear program, while expressing skepticism about the talks’ chances of success.
“I think in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things,” Rubio stated, also citing Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for regional armed groups, and treatment of its own citizens.
Iran
Tehran says its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, including supplying electricity.
Iranian officials have stressed that the discussions should be focused solely on nuclear issues rather than broader strategic topics such as ballistic missiles or regional activities.
On the content of the talks, Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency cited a source saying that Washington wants to “raise issues outside the nuclear framework, including defense matters.”
“These demands are not only unrelated to the nuclear issue but are directly tied to national security and the country’s deterrent capability and are fundamentally non-negotiable,” said the unnamed source.
Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response. They have also accused the US and Israel of backing what they describe as “armed rioters” in the country, referring to the weeks of demonstrations starting in late December.
Regional countries
For its part, Israel says it wants US-Iran talks to include Iran’s missile program and Iran’s support for groups in the region, not only its nuclear program.
A senior Israeli military official said Sunday that Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities constitute an “existential threat” to Israel, telling Israeli state broadcaster KAN that the country “cannot coexist with Iran’s ballistic missiles.”
Israeli analysts have also said that Israel is pushing for military action and that any US-Iran agreement should address not only Tehran’s nuclear program but also its missile capabilities.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Tel Aviv has warned Washington against what it described as Iranian “deception.”
An Israeli military statement said the Israeli and US navies last Sunday carried out a joint military exercise in the Red Sea as tensions with Iran continued to grow.
Other regional countries, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, have made efforts to push for negotiations between Washington and Tehran to prevent a wider regional confrontation.
During a visit to Türkiye by his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara opposes any military intervention against Iran and supports a peaceful, internal resolution of the country’s issues by its own people.
“We have told our counterparts at every opportunity that we are against a military intervention targeting Iran,” said Fidan.
“We hope that Iran’s internal issues will be resolved peacefully by the Iranian people without any external intervention,” he added.
The outcome of the expected meeting remains to be seen. While both sides have signaled a willingness to engage, it is unclear whether negotiations will produce concrete results or give way once again to escalation.
The current diplomatic effort follows a 12-day war in June 2025, fought mainly between Iran and Israel, during which Israel carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.
The US also struck key Iranian nuclear facilities, including those at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Prior to the war, Washington and Tehran held five rounds of indirect talks, primarily in Muscat and Rome. The conflict halted the negotiations.
