The United States will engage in direct negotiations with Iran on the nuclear file in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The talks will involve U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and a senior Iranian official, with the two delegations in the same room.
“We hope that’ll lead to peace. We’ve been very clear—what Iran is never going to have is a nuclear weapon, and I think that’s what led to this meeting,” Rubio said during a Cabinet session on Thursday chaired by President Donald Trump.
The planned talks follow Trump’s announcement this week that Washington and Tehran were preparing to enter direct negotiations. The president emphasized the stakes, warning that the Islamic Republic would face “great danger” if it failed to cooperate. Trump reiterated on Wednesday that military action remains an option should Tehran refuse to abandon its nuclear ambitions, adding that Israel would play a central role in any such response.
Despite initial confusion stemming from Iran’s earlier insistence that talks would be indirect and mediated by Oman, a U.S. official familiar with the preparations clarified that the sides will meet face-to-face.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been escalating amid renewed U.S. sanctions and Iran’s continued uranium enrichment. Iranian officials, while agreeing to attend the talks, have hinted at offering an interim agreement that might involve suspending some uranium enrichment in exchange for limited sanctions relief and expanded international oversight.
