US and Iranian diplomats opened indirect talks Saturday in Oman in an effort to resolve Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday described the first, tentative contacts in Oman as “productive” and “a good step.”
He told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that while President Donald Trump hoped to never have to resort to a military option, “We’ve shown a capability to go far, to go deep and to go big.”
Trump said Wednesday that military action was “absolutely” possible – in conjunction with Israel – if the talks in Oman failed.
“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” he told reporters. “Israel will obviously be very much involved in that, be the leader of that.”
That followed a blunt warning in late March that “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
Iranian and American delegations held the first round of talks in Oman on Saturday, with Oman's foreign minister acting as mediator.
Saturday's exchanges between Teharn and Washington were indirect and mediated by Oman, as Iran had wanted, rather than face-to-face, as Trump had demanded. Each delegation had its separate room and exchanged messages via Oman's foreign minister.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his delegation had a brief encounter with its US counterpart headed by Witkoff after they exited the talks.
"After the end of more than 2-1/2 hours of indirect talks, the heads of the Iranian and American delegations spoke for a few minutes in the presence of the Omani foreign minister as they left the talks. It (the encounter) was based on our political etiquette," Araghchi said.
Araghchi said the talks took place in a "productive, calm and positive atmosphere".
MNA/
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