Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi showed cautious optimism after the first round of indirect negotiations with the US in Oman. Tehran remains steadfast in only negotiating its nuclear program, although it refuses to stop uranium enrichment. Hours after the talks, the Trump Administration imposed new sanctions against the network that sells Iranian oil.

First modification: 02/07/2026 - 00:21Last modification: 02/07/2026 - 00:22

Diplomacy, military threat and economic sanctions. Under this very dissimilar cocktail, Iran and the United States managed to carry out a first round of indirect dialogues in Oman, focused above all on establishing the bases for a more significant negotiation process.

In diplomatic terms, the talks on Friday, February 6, seemed aimed at building trust between two countries, whose last rapprochements collapsed when Israel launched its bombings on Iran last June. That began a 12-day war that ended after the United States directly attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and Tehran responded with a minor retaliation against American troops in Qatar.

Added to this are weeks of still unrealized warnings from President Donald Trump about possible attacks against the regime of the Islamic Republic in retaliation for the brutal repression of the recent demonstrations in Iran, which have caused the death of at least 6,200 people.

"The mistrust generated represents a serious challenge for the negotiations," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in an interview from Muscat with Iranian state television. "We must first address this issue and then move to the next level of negotiations," he insisted.

Read alsoAraqhchi returns to lead Iran's negotiations with the US in Oman

A "good start" that opens the expectation of more dialogues

Despite the growing tensions and disagreements over the format of the negotiations that almost caused the cancellation of the meeting, Araqchi described as "a good start" the "long and intense" conversations he held this Friday with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – Trump's son-in-law – by exchanging messages through the Omani Foreign Minister, Badr al-Busaidi.

Al-Busaidi, who also served as a mediator in previous rounds of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, called these initial talks "useful in clarifying both the Iranian and American points of view and identifying areas of possible progress." He clarified that the focus was on preparing the ground for the resumption of diplomatic and technical negotiations, rather than a step towards a nuclear deal or détente.

As described by journalists from the AP agency, the delegations alternated separately in several rounds of meetings with Al-Busaidi in a palace near the Muscat international airport, the same venue for the talks in 2025.

According to Araqchi, the talks only focused on the nuclear issue, as Tehran intended, without entering into the Iranian missile program, Iran's support for armed groups in the region or the repression of anti-government protesters, topics that Washington sought to include in the talks.

A regional diplomat informed by Tehran assured Reuters that the Islamic Republic insisted on its "right to enrich uranium", rejecting the US demand to completely stop that practice.

However, the source added, Iranian negotiators were willing to discuss "the level and purity" of enrichment and additional arrangements, such as the creation of a regional consortium. In exchange, Tehran seeks "efficient and immediate relief from sanctions, including banking and oil sanctions, and the transfer of US military assets out of Iran," according to the diplomat who remained anonymous.

After this first meeting, Araqchi indicated: both negotiating teams "will maintain consultations with our capitals about the next steps." He highlighted, however; "If the United States continues with this approach we can arrive at the formation of a negotiating framework in the next talks."

Also read EE. US announces new oil sanctions on Iran; Tehran ruled out stopping uranium enrichment

The United States puts its military card on the table

While, for now, the US delegation has not commented on this round of dialogue, at the negotiating table it recalled its military threat to Iran, with the participation, for the first time, of its main commander in the Middle East.

Dressed in gala uniform, the head of the US Army Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, was part of Washington's delegation, in what was interpreted as a reminder that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships are off the coast of Iran, in the Arabian Sea.

Added to Trump's repeated threats to use his "great Navy" against Iran and Tehran's warnings of retaliation were incidents in the days prior to the meeting in Oman. On Tuesday, US forces shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached the Lincoln, while Iran attempted to intercept a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz that same day.

That is why Araqchi insisted, in statements to the press after the meeting in Muscat, that "nuclear talks and the resolution of the main problems must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension or threats."

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"The prerequisite for any dialogue is to refrain from threats and pressure. We also raised this explicitly today, and we hope that it will be respected so that there is a possibility of continuing talks," he stressed.

However, on Friday night, the US Army rehearsed a new show of force: CENTCOM published on its X account photos of the Lincoln aircraft carrier, two supply ships and two coast guard ships sailing through the Arabian Sea, guarded by military aircraft. "Peace through strength!" reads the publication, replicating the star motto of the Trump Administration's foreign policy.

Read alsoMissiles, uranium and arsenals: the thorny issues in US talks with Iran

New oil sanctions on Iran

Shortly after the conclusion of the talks in Oman, the US Departments of State and Treasury announced a new set of sanctions against entities, individuals and vessels allegedly linked to the "illicit" transfer of oil used to finance the Iranian government. Retaliation includes freezing assets in US jurisdictions.

The measure affects 14 ships of the so-called "ghost fleet" that, according to Washington, are used to try to evade sanctions, as well as 15 commercial companies - based in India or Turkey, among others - and two people associated with the marketing of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products.

Washington noted that its punishments target the oil sector, which is "the regime's main source of income," in order to "stop the flow of income that the Tehran regime uses to support terrorism abroad and repress its citizens."

"Time and time again, the Iranian government has prioritized its destabilizing behavior over the safety of its own citizens, as evidenced by the regime's mass murder of peaceful protesters," the State Department noted.

Last month, the United States sanctioned Iran's Interior Minister, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and other Iranian leaders, whom it holds responsible for last month's deadly crackdown on protests in the Persian country.

Also read EE. The US and Iran resume contact without dispelling the specter of military intervention

With Reuters, AP and EFE

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