DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States will hold talks Friday in Oman, their latest discussions regarding Tehran’s nuclear program following a 12-day war launched by Israel in June and a subsequent crackdown on protests within Iran.
Background of U.S.-Iran Negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump has maintained pressure on Iran, suggesting potential military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators or if Tehran pursues mass executions related to the protests. Trump has also re-focused attention on Iran’s nuclear program, which was disrupted by the June war after five rounds of talks held in Rome and Muscat, Oman, last year.
Diplomacy began with a letter from Trump to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year. Khamenei has warned of retaliation for any attack, particularly as Iran’s theocracy deals with the aftermath of the protests.
Trump initially sent the letter to Khamenei on March 5, 2025, and acknowledged doing so in a television interview the following day. He stated, “I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.’”
Since returning to office, Trump has pushed for talks while simultaneously increasing sanctions and hinting at potential military strikes by Israel or the U.S. targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
A previous letter from Trump during his first term received a negative response from the supreme leader. However, Trump’s letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led to face-to-face meetings, though no agreements were reached to limit Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Oman’s Role as Mediator
Oman has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who have met face-to-face after indirect discussions, a rare occurrence given the decades of tension between the two countries.
Negotiations have faced challenges. Witkoff suggested that 3.67% enrichment for Iran could be a potential agreement, mirroring the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal from which Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. American officials have since maintained that Iran should have no enrichment under any new deal, a position Iran rejects.
Those negotiations concluded when Israel launched the war in June.
Recent Escalations and Iran’s Nuclear Program
Israel’s 12-day war on Iran in June included U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Iran acknowledged in November that the attacks led to a halt in all uranium enrichment, though inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have been unable to access the bombed sites.
Iran experienced protests beginning in late December over the collapse of its currency, which escalated into nationwide demonstrations. The government responded with a violent crackdown that resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of detentions.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, but its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. The country currently enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only nation without a nuclear weapons program to do so.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was permitted to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated a stockpile of approximately 9,870 kilograms (21,760 pounds), with a portion enriched to 60%.
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has not yet initiated a weapons program but has taken steps to position itself to produce a nuclear device if it chooses to do so.
Historical Context
Iran was once a key U.S. ally under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed the CIA to operate secret listening posts. The CIA orchestrated a 1953 coup that solidified the shah’s rule.
In January 1979, the shah fled Iran amid widespread protests. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, establishing Iran’s theocratic government.
Later that year, students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah’s extradition and initiating a 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. The Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s saw U.S. support for Saddam Hussein. The “Tanker War” involved a U.S. one-day assault crippling Iran’s navy, and the U.S. military later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner, claiming it was mistaken for a warplane.
Relations between Iran and the U.S. have fluctuated, peaking with the 2015 nuclear deal. However, Trump’s withdrawal from the accord in 2018 sparked ongoing tensions in the Mideast.
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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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