Iran confirmed Donald Trump's announcement that it will hold talks with the US this weekend, following months of rising tensions over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
โIran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks,โ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. โIt is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court.โ
The negotiations, according to Iran's state-run Nour News, will be led by Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for the Middle East and also one of the president's closest advisors. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will help mediate the talks, Nour reported.
It's unclear if Witkoff and Araghchi will actually meet, given that Trump, speaking at the White House on Monday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the talks will be direct.
โWe have a very big meeting on Saturday, and we're dealing with them directly,โ Trump said. โYou know, a lot of people say, โOh, maybe you're going through surrogates, you're not dealing directly, you're dealing through other countries.' No โ we're dealing with them directly.โ
The developments follow weeks of tension over whether the two countries could find a diplomatic path to revive talks about curbing Iran's nuclear activities or were headed toward conflict. Last month, Trump sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging him to agree to a new deal or face possible military action.
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