Tehran Close to Deal, Oman Mediator Says, as Trump Weighs Strikes
Negotiators from the U. S. and Iran have made "substantial progress" toward a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said, and his comments came as President Trump weighed whether to authorize strikes; tehran’s stance on enrichment remained a central point of contention.
Negotiators outline verification steps and a timeline
Albusaidi said Iran has agreed that it will "never, ever have … nuclear material that will create a bomb, " and he described planned steps for existing stockpiles: they would be "blended to the lowest level possible" and "converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible. " He added that Iran is willing to grant inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency "full access" to its nuclear sites, saying there would be "zero accumulation, zero stockpiling, and full verification. " Technical talks are scheduled for Monday in Vienna, and Albusaidi said he hopes to meet with U. S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a few days afterward.
Tehran’s public position: enrichment remains a right, not a surrender
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told moderators last week that the country has "every right to enjoy a peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment, " a stance that Albusaidi acknowledged as a live issue in talks. Albusaidi said he is "quite confident" that if there is a fair and endurable deal, even American inspectors will have access at some point in the process, but he also cautioned "we need a little bit more time" to iron out details.
White House pressure and unresolved security concerns
President Trump struck a different tone, saying he is "not happy" with the pace of negotiations and had not decided whether to authorize strikes. "I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have, " he said, adding, "I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later. " The president also said he wants Iran to stop enriching uranium altogether: "They want to enrich a little bit. You don't have to enrich when you have that much oil, " and, "I say, no enrichment. "
Albusaidi said he hopes the progress can avert military action—when asked if he believes enough progress has been made to avert strikes, he replied, "I hope so. " He noted negotiators have held multiple rounds of indirect talks over the past month as they try to resolve the sticking points.
The negotiators and officials also faced technical and verification questions grounded in recent assessments: Iran has in recent years enriched uranium up to 60% purity, U. S. intelligence agencies assessed last spring that Iran had not reauthorized a nuclear weapons program that was suspended in 2003, and Albusaidi said Iran is not currently enriching uranium. At the same time, a confidential IAEA report this week assessed that Iran is conducting unexplained activity at nuclear sites that were bombed by the U. S. last June.
Albusaidi described the talks as producing "substantial progress" and said a "peace deal is within our reach, " while urging more time to complete technical work in Vienna. President Trump has said he prefers diplomacy but has not ruled out further military action if a deal cannot be reached.
The next confirmed step is the technical meeting scheduled for Monday in Vienna; Albusaidi hopes to hold follow-up meetings with U. S. negotiators a few days after those sessions.
