US-Iran talks in Oman ‘good start’, says Tehran; Trump warns

US-Iran talks in Oman ‘good start’, says Tehran; Trump warns

Tehran has described the latest talks between the US and Iran, brokered by Oman, as ‘positive’ and ‘a good start’. At the same time, US President Donald Trump also commented on the talks as ‘very good’. However, he said that the talks have not yet provided a clear roadmap to completely defuse potential military tensions. In an interview with Iranian state television in Muscat on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the indirect talks are ‘a good start’. He said that a decision will be made soon on how to move the talks forward to the next stage. Araghchi also said that the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel and the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities at that time created an atmosphere of distrust between the two countries, which has not yet been completely resolved. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, President Trump said the US talks with Iran were going “very well” and that more meetings were planned for early next week. However, Trump also issued a warning. He said that if Iran does not reach an agreement on its nuclear program, the consequences of the situation could be “very, very bad.” The Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the indirect talks in Muscat. Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated on the US side. In addition, General Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, was also associated with the delegation. Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi held several separate meetings with US and Iranian representatives and played a mediating role in the exchange of messages between the two sides.