Negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program have been revived after appearing on the brink of collapse earlier this week, following urgent lobbying from Arab and Muslim leaders who pressed the Trump administration not to walk away from the talks.
Plans are now back on for U.S. and Iranian officials to meet Friday in Oman, marking a renewed attempt to restart diplomacy amid rising regional tensions and significant U.S. military posturing. The reversal came after multiple countries in the Middle East warned Washington that canceling the talks could trigger dangerous escalation.
According to reporting by Axios, U.S. officials said at least nine countries in the region reached out directly to senior levels of the Trump administration to urge that the meeting proceed. Those appeals intensified Wednesday afternoon after indications emerged that the talks were falling apart.
“They asked us to keep the meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say,” one U.S. official said. “We have told the Arabs that we will do the meeting if they insist. But we are very skeptical.”
Another U.S. official said the administration agreed to move forward with the talks “to be respectful” of U.S. allies in the region and “in order to continue pursuing the diplomatic track.”
The renewed talks follow a brief diplomatic standoff earlier in the week. The U.S. and Iran had initially agreed to meet Friday in Istanbul, with other Middle Eastern nations expected to attend as observers. Iran, however, requested that the talks be moved to Oman and conducted strictly as a bilateral meeting, arguing that the discussions should focus solely on nuclear issues.
U.S. officials were initially open to adjusting the venue before rejecting Iran’s request, only to reverse course again after reports surfaced that the meeting had been canceled. At one point, a senior U.S. official told Axios, “We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘OK, then nothing.’ We want to reach a real deal quickly or people will look at other options.”
The talks are now scheduled to take place in Muscat, with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirming the meeting and a U.S. official verifying the plans.
Despite the restart, deep disagreements remain. Iran has made clear it wants the talks confined strictly to its nuclear program, maintaining its right to uranium enrichment under international treaty obligations. U.S. officials, meanwhile, have pushed for an agenda that includes Iran’s ballistic missile program, its support for regional proxy groups, and human rights issues. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed skepticism that Tehran is prepared to make meaningful concessions.
The diplomatic effort is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened military tension. The U.S. has surged forces into the region, including the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. President Donald Trump has issued sharp warnings to Iran’s leadership, signaling that while diplomacy is preferred, military options remain on the table if talks fail.
Iran, for its part, has warned of severe retaliation if attacked. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has cautioned that any strike on Iran would ignite a broader regional conflict. Friday’s meeting in Oman will mark the first direct U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy since negotiations collapsed and tensions escalated into open conflict in 2025.
