Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on April 12 for indirect high-level talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday.
Araghchi, Iran’s seasoned top diplomat, will lead Tehran’s delegation in the upcoming indirect talks with the US in Oman, a source told Iran Nuances. The US will be represented by Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff.
"It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court," Araghchi said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran would be in "great danger" if ongoing direct talks between the US and the Middle East country fail.
"I think if the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran's going to be in great danger," Trump said. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if the talks aren't successful, I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran."
Should the talks proceed, they would mark the first face-to-face interaction between American and Iranian officials since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal seven years ago.
Tehran denies talks reports
Before Araghchi's announcement, three senior Iranian officials told The New York Times that Trump’s account was not entirely accurate.
According to them, the discussions were expected to begin indirectly, with each delegation in separate rooms while Jordanian diplomats shuttle messages between the sides—a format similar to previous negotiations mediated by European officials during the Biden administration.
"The Nour news agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian government, said: 'Trump's move can be seen as part of a psychological and media game aimed at portraying the US as the “party seeking negotiations” and shifting the burden of the lack of dialogue onto Iran.'"
The Iranian sources added that Tehran could consider direct talks if initial indirect discussions show progress.
Hours before the two leaders' announcement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran was awaiting a US response to Tehran’s proposal for indirect negotiations. He said the Islamic Republic believed it was making a generous, responsible and honorable offer.
After Trump spoke, a senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: “The talks will not be direct ... It will be with Oman’s mediation.” Oman, which maintains good relations with both the US and Iran, has been a longtime channel for messages between the rival states.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has refused to permit direct nuclear negotiations with the United States since Trump abandoned the previous accord. Any face-to-face meeting would therefore represent a notable shift. Still, Iranian officials are unlikely to agree to dismantle the country’s extensive nuclear infrastructure, which has advanced to a stage where bomb-grade fuel could be produced within weeks and a deliverable weapon in a matter of months.
The talks come amid growing instability. Iran’s air defenses around key nuclear facilities were compromised after Israeli airstrikes last October. In addition, Iran can no longer count on proxy groups—including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the ousted Syrian government—to respond militarily against Israel.
Within Iran, more voices are calling for the country to develop a nuclear weapon, particularly after Iranian weaknesses were exposed during a missile attack on Israel last year.
Sitting beside Trump, Netanyahu stated that any agreement must follow “the Libyan model”—meaning Iran would need to fully dismantle and export its nuclear assets. However, while Libya’s nuclear equipment was handed over in 2003 before it was even unpacked, Iran’s program has been operational for years, is dispersed across the country, and much of it is buried underground.
The 2015 nuclear agreement required Iran to remove 97% of its enriched uranium and retain only minimal quantities alongside its fuel-production equipment. At the time, then-president Barack Obama and senior officials described the deal as the most achievable option.
Nonetheless, when Trump exited the deal, Iran retained both the equipment and knowledge to rapidly restart its program. The country is now believed to have enough material for at least six nuclear weapons.
In early February, The New York Times reported that a covert Iranian team is researching a faster—though cruder—method of constructing a nuclear device. Trump is likely to have been briefed on this intelligence, which surfaced near the end of the Biden administration and has added urgency to diplomatic efforts.
US officials have made clear that they will not engage in prolonged negotiations with Tehran.