Iranian officials held indirect talks with two Biden administration officials this week in Oman to de-escalate attacks in the Middle East, sources of the talks told Axios and Walla on Friday.
The two officials from the Biden administration were Brett McGurk, the US president's top Middle East adviser, and Abram Paley, who is the US envoy for Iran. The US made it clear to the Iranians what the consequences of their and their proxies' actions in the region might be. Additionally, the reports said that the US believes Iran has a lot of influence over its proxies in the region - whether they be Hezbollah, Houthis, or their proxy militias in Iraq and Syria.
The reports do not clarify who the Iranian representatives who participated in the talks were.
This was the first round of discussions between the two countries since January. The talks were mediated by Omani officials, with this occurring nearly over a month after the Iranian strikes in Israel last month.
During the discussions, US concern about the Iranian nuclear program had also come up in addition to the possibility of escalating violence.
The bigger picture
The big picture behind this meeting is that the Biden administration is trying to prevent the crisis in Gaza from turning into a regional war, the reports noted.
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vandante Patel told reporters in a briefing on Monday that the United States has ways to communicate with Iran to clarify its concerns. "The Biden administration continues to assess that Iran is not currently undertaking the key activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device," he said.