Trump Administration Engages in Nuclear Talks with Iran Amidst Tensions
As President Donald Trump embarked on a trip to the Middle East, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran concluded a fourth round of negotiations in Oman, focusing on Tehran’s controversial nuclear weapons program. The talks occurred against a backdrop of escalating tensions and divergent perspectives, casting a shadow over the prospects for a breakthrough.
Prior to his departure, President Trump addressed reporters at the White House, reiterating his firm stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. He emphasized, “You can’t have a nuclear weapon, but I think that they are talking intelligently. We’re in the midst of talking to them, and they’re right now acting very intelligent. We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can’t have nuclear weapons. Very simple. So I think they understand that.”
However, the atmosphere surrounding the negotiations was further complicated by recent events. Just a day before the start of the talks, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei welcomed chants of “Death to America” in Tehran, signaling a continued defiance of U.S. interests. Khamenei told a crowd of supporters who called for the destruction of the U.S. that their judgment was right.
Despite the underlying tensions, both sides expressed a willingness to continue the dialogue. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the nuclear talks as "difficult but useful," while a U.S. official, speaking anonymously, characterized them as being both indirect and direct. An agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements, the U.S. official said. “We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future."
President Trump has announced a 60-day time frame to reach an agreement with Iran over its illegal atomic weapons program. The first U.S. negotiating session with Iran commenced on April 12.
Mardo Soghom, an Iran analyst and journalist, observed that Iran’s regime is determined to preserve its right to enrich uranium, the essential material for nuclear weapons. The Trump administration is vehemently opposed to a uranium enrichment program on Iranian soil. “Iran is trying to save its enrichment operation at a lower level and also not accepting any pressure to halt its anti-Israel stance. Khamenei’s speech [Saturday] highlighted that second point. But at this point, the main issue is dismantling Iran’s uranium enrichment," Soghom told Fox News Digital.
Khamenei also criticized Israel during his speech in Tehran, stating that the people of Gaza are not facing Israel alone; they are facing America and Britain. Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, noted that the Iranians sound more pessimistic than the U.S. side, describing the talks as difficult.
The current negotiations mark a significant shift from the Obama administration’s approach. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The first Trump administration argued that the accord failed to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapons device.
Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff recently stressed that Iran cannot have an enrichment program. Witkoff said that they’re never doing a JCPOA deal where sanctions come off and there’s no sunsetting of their obligations, emphasizing that it doesn’t make sense. He believes they cannot have enrichment, centrifuges, or anything that allows them to build a weapon, adding that the previous JCPOA had sunset provisions that burned off the obligations and burned off the sanctions relief at inappropriate times, which is never going to happen in this deal.
Brodsky stated that both sides want to keep the process moving. He noted that the Iranians will usually say and do enough to earn another meeting as they stand to lose more by this process breaking down than the U.S. government. According to Brodsky, the negotiating process is as important to the Iranians as the agreement itself as the process offers insulation from the impact of sanctions, with the rial strengthening since talks started, and protection from a military strike. This is why Iran will want these negotiations to continue for as long as possible. They will try to wear out and exhaust U.S. negotiators into concessions, which the Trump administration should reject.
The sensitive issue of uranium enrichment has long been a point of contention in talks with Iran. The Europeans faced criticism for agreeing to allow Iran to enrich uranium during the early stages of atomic talks. Brodsky argued that the original sin of U.S. decision-making on Iran’s nuclear program was when the Obama administration changed the U.S. position from zero enrichment to tolerating enrichment at 3.67%. That laid the groundwork for Iran to retain the capability to continue to use its nuclear program to extort the United States and ultimately build a nuclear weapon.
Brodsky believes that this era should end today, and recent comments from President Trump, Special Envoy Witkoff, and Secretary Rubio signal that this era is over. He noted that House and Senate Republicans were also very clear on this point over the last week. The Iranians say they want a durable deal, but a JCPOA 2.0—tolerating enrichment at 3.67% and no dismantlement of nuclear facilities—would not be one. The Iranians are engaged in all kinds of gimmicks to dress up a variation of the same concessions they offered to President Obama, which should be unacceptable to American negotiators.
The anti-American news outlet Kayhan, which serves as the mouthpiece for Khamenei, published a full-page screed against Trump, describing him as a framework based on narcissism, superiority delusions, and threat-based tactics.
The talks on Sunday lasted for approximately three hours in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Iran’s regime spokesperson, Baghaei, said that a decision on the next round of talks is under discussion.
