LONDON — Iranian officers confirmed Monday that Tehran would maintain “oblique” excessive stage talks with U.S. representatives in Oman this weekend relating to Iran’s nuclear program, although appeared to contradict President Donald Trump’s assertion that the negotiations are “direct” in nature.
Trump advised reporters within the Oval Workplace on Monday, “We’re having direct talks with Iran, and so they’ve began. It will go on Saturday. We now have a really large assembly, and we’ll see what can occur.”
“You recognize, lots of people say, ‘Oh, perhaps you are going by way of surrogates otherwise you’re not dealing straight. You are dealing by way of different international locations.’ No, we’re coping with them straight. And, perhaps a deal goes to be made,” Trump stated.
Requested on Tuesday whether or not the talks would certainly be direct, a White Home Nationwide Safety spokesperson advised ABC Information, “The president was clear in his remarks.”
Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed {that a} assembly will happen in Oman on April 12, although confused they’d be “oblique high-level talks.”
President Donald Trump meets with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, April 7, 2025, in Washington.
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
“It’s as a lot a possibility as it’s a check,” Araghchi stated in a publish to social media.
Iranian authorities spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani additionally advised a Tuesday press convention that the approaching talks with the U.S. will likely be “oblique.”
“We consider in negotiations,” she stated, as quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic Information Company. “We had beforehand acknowledged that if the language of respect is used, we’ll negotiate.”
“Particulars will emerge throughout the negotiations,” Mohajerani added. “As negotiations haven’t began but, there are not any particulars that we are able to share now,” she stated.
“As a negotiator celebration with an equal perspective towards the talks, what issues to us is specializing in our nationwide pursuits, something that improves the scenario for our individuals, and the matters which have beforehand been mentioned. Hopefully, we may have sensible negotiations forward,” she added.
The U.S. and Iran have engaged in oblique talks a number of instances lately. The nation has historically performed a mediating position between Washington and Tehran, together with throughout talks held there in 2023.
Iranian officers have thus far refused Trump’s provide to interact in direct talks. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated in March that “though direct negotiations between the 2 events are rejected, it has been acknowledged that the trail for oblique negotiations is open.”
If direct talks occur as Trump stated, they’d be the primary publicly-known direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran because the president exited the 2015 Joint Complete Plan of Motion nuclear deal in 2018.
In latest weeks, Trump has threatened potential army motion in opposition to Iran to maintain it from growing nuclear weapons.
“I believe all people agrees that doing a deal can be preferable to doing the apparent,” the president stated Monday, talking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “And the apparent will not be one thing that I need to be concerned with, or, frankly, that Israel needs to be concerned with if they’ll keep away from it,” he stated.
“So, we’ll see if we are able to keep away from it,” Trump continued. “Nevertheless it’s attending to be very harmful territory. And hopefully these talks will likely be profitable. And I believe it could be in Iran’s finest pursuits if they’re profitable.”
ABC Information’ Shannon Okay. Kingston and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.