Muscat, Oman — A convoy believed to be carrying American officials arrived Friday at a palace on the outskirts of Muscat, near the international airport, where Iran and the United States are scheduled to hold negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. One vehicle in the convoy displayed U.S. flags. Iranian vehicles carrying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived earlier; Iranian state television said he met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi before his convoy moved to a nearby hotel. The same palace hosted earlier U.S.-Iran talks in 2025.
The renewed talks cap a chaotic week that briefly included plans for regional participation in meetings in Türkiye. The delegations have returned to Oman months after earlier rounds collapsed following what the report described as Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June.
During that conflict, U.S. strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites, likely destroying many centrifuges that had been enriching uranium near weapons-grade levels. Israeli strikes reportedly damaged Iran’s air defenses and targeted its ballistic missile forces.
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, say Iran’s theocratic government is at its weakest point since the 1979 Islamic Revolution after nationwide protests last month that presented the greatest challenge yet to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Security forces’ harsh response reportedly killed thousands and led to tens of thousands of arrests, and those developments have coincided with renewed military threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The United States maintains a substantial military presence in the region — including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, other warships and additional fighter jets — providing the capability to strike if it chose, though it is unclear whether such attacks would force Iran to change course or topple its government. Gulf Arab states have warned that any major strike could spark a wider regional war.
Tensions have already produced dangerous encounters at sea and in the air: U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone near the Lincoln, and Iran attempted to stop a U.S.-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
