The first round of new talks between Iran and the United States in Muscat, Oman, has ended with satisfying results.
U.S. President Donald Trump very much needs the talks to chicken out from his threats to again attack Iran. Any attack on Iran would be retaliated for with missile which would cause massive damage to U.S. and Israeli assets.
There had been a little drama about the location, configuration and content of the meeting.
The U.S. at first insisted on talks in Turkey. It wanted the foreign ministers of other Middle Eastern countries to take part in them. It demanded to negotiate about nuclear issues, ballistic missiles, Iranian support for local militia and about the recognizance of Israel by Iran.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks needed to include ballistic missiles, Iran’s aligned militias and its treatment of its own people “in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful.”
Iran rejected all of the conditions Rubio tried to make.
It wanted to limit the talks to the nuclear issue and sanctions relief. It did not like Turkey, which is neither neutral nor a friend of Iran, as the host of the talks and preferred Oman as it traditionally following a neutral foreign policy. Iran also rejected the participation of other Middle Eastern countries as these would likely be under U.S. pressure to gang up against Iran.
Some Middle East countries, interested in preventing another war in their region, intervened with President Trump:
Fearing that talks about Iran’s missiles and regional proxies could cause an immediate impasse, other countries in the region have been pushing for the session to focus on Iran’s nuclear program, two Middle Eastern diplomats said.
They urged to accept Iran’s conditions and the U.S. conceded to them.
The talks held today were indirect. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi shuffled between the rooms to convey each parties position.
Badr Albusaidi – بدر البوسعيدي @badralbusaidi – 14:15 UTC · Feb 6, 2026
Very serious talks mediating between Iran and the US in Muscat today.
It was useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress. We aim to reconvene in due course, with the results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed the Iranian press about the results:
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the new round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States in the Omani capital Muscat was a “good start” and can be continued.
“The decision on how to proceed with the negotiations will be made after consultations with the capitals,” he told IRIB following the conclusion of the Omani-mediated talks on Friday.
…
During some six hours of talks, several indirect meetings and rounds of consultations were held and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi played an “active” role in hosting and conveying the messages and viewpoints of both sides, said Araghchi.“During these talks, [which took place] after a long period of interruption, Iran’s positions and concerns were fully conveyed and our interests, the rights of the Iranian people, and all matters that needed to be stated were conveyed in a very positive atmosphere, and the views of the other side were also heard,” he explained.
Other Iranian media report that Araghchi during the talks insisted on continued enrichment in Iran and that neither side budged on their previously stated positions.
After consultations with the capitals a new round is likely to take place in a week or so.
For some intriguing (or stupid) reason the U.S. delegation, led by Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, included Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East. The Iranian delegation was purely civilian and certainly not impressed by some uniformed man sitting in a room away from theirs.
I have yet to see ‘leaks’ or rumors from the U.S. side of the negotiations.
There are many people around the White House, i.e. Marco Rubio, and in Israel who do want the talks to fail. They will do their best to portrait the Iranian position as unreasonable and to press for and immediate end of the negotiations.
But Trump needs a way out. Any new conflagration in Middle East could easily turn into a months long disaster with significant U.S. casualties. The political aftermath of such a fight would likely ruin his presidency.