The sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran will take place in Muscat on Sunday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.

This follows doubts that the talks would take place after a source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that there was “definitely a chance” that a sixth round would not take place.

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted on a draft resolution stating that Iran has not provided answers and is violating commitments regarding the nuclear agreement on Thursday.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat on Sunday and discuss the Iranian response to a recent US proposal, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing a US official.

A source told the Post that under instruction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad director David Barnea will fly from Israel on Friday to meet with Witkoff and clarify Israel’s position on the agreement ahead of the newest round of talks.

Officials caution Iran is stalling negotiations

Western intelligence officials believe Tehran is using the time afforded by ongoing negotiations to make alterations to its nuclear sites that would reduce the effectiveness of any future military strike.
A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran (credit: REUTERS)
A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran (credit: REUTERS)
This past spring, Iran released multiple videos of underground “missile cities” and other military sites that could be used instead of ones that are currently aboveground.

Construction on the Natanz nuclear facility, built underneath a mountain even deeper underground than the Fordow facility, started years ago.

In recent weeks, Israeli and European officials have cautioned senior members of the US administration that Iran is deliberately stalling the negotiations. The issue was also raised in a phone call this week between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

“Tehran is simply buying time,” Netanyahu told Trump.

As previously reported by the Post, European officials have warned their US counterparts that Iran is dragging out the talks in an attempt to create a rift between Europe and the US over the snapback mechanism, UN Security Council sanctions on Iran that can only be reimposed until mid-October.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.