"Iran and the USA will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect talks at a high level. It's as much an opportunity as a test. The ball is on the USA's court," wrote Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X on Tuesday.
The primary goal is to get the sanctions directed against Iran lifted, according to the foreign minister.
The announcement was followed by a statement from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demands that the USA "blows up" Iran's nuclear facilities in a potential new agreement on the country's atomic energy.
Dismantle facilities
In a recorded speech after his meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, Netanyahu says that Iran must not have access to nuclear weapons under any circumstances. He adds that an agreement with Iran must resemble the one previously made with Libya.
We go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all equipment – under American supervision. That's the perfect scenario, he says in the speech according to Israeli media.
Iran's foreign minister, in turn, warned the USA's President Donald Trump against using "military alternatives" when the talks resume. In a debate article in the American newspaper The Washington Post, Aragchi writes that an agreement is possible if the USA shows "good will".
He emphasizes at the same time that the talks between the parties will take place in different rooms, likely with Omani mediators running between the two parties.
We have no plans to raise the talks to a direct level, said Araghchi in state-run Iranian TV.
Trump threatened Iran
Trump surprisingly announced the talks at a press conference with Netanyahu on Monday. Then, he said it was about direct talks.
Maybe we can get an agreement, it would be very good. We will hold very important meetings at almost the highest level on Saturday, he said and threatened Iran simultaneously.
If the talks are not successful, I think it will be very bad for Iran.
Late on Tuesday, Trump confirmed that the American delegation is led by the White House's special Middle East envoy, real estate magnate Steve Witkoff. Thus, the USA is not represented by Foreign Minister Marco Rubio or the State Department.
During his first term, Trump pulled the USA out of the nuclear energy agreement JCPOA with Iran. The agreement involved exchanging sanctions relief for limitations on Iran's nuclear program.
Since then, several alarms have sounded about Iran being on its way to manufacturing nuclear weapons, which the regime in Tehran denies.
