Above photo: AFP via Getty Images.
‘Ball In US Court.’
Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Tehran and Washington will engage in direct talks. Threatening once again to bomb Iran if negotiations fail.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on 8 April that Tehran will engage in “indirect” nuclear negotiations with the US via Oman, coming after US President Donald Trump claimed the two countries will be holding direct talks.
Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks.
It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 7, 2025
“Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks. It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court,” the foreign minister said in a post on X early on Tuesday.
An anonymous Iranian official was cited by Reuters as saying that the talks are indirect. Three Iranian sources told the New York Times (NYT) that Tehran is open to direct negotiations if the Omani-mediated talks go well.
Trump told reporters on Monday, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Washington will be “having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started.”
“It’ll go on Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with or, frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it. So, we’re going to see if we can avoid it,” the US president added.
He went on to say that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, warning that if the talks are not successful, “It’ll be a very bad day for Iran.”
Iran signaled its readiness for indirect negotiations recently in a response to a letter sent by Trump to the leadership in Tehran. Trump’s letter issued a clear threat – negotiate or risk a bombing campaign against the Iranian nuclear program.
The US president has recently reiterated this threat, saying in late March that “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
Iranian officials had previously vowed – following a surge in US threats and harsh sanctions on Iran – that it would not negotiate under pressure.
The Islamic Republic’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in March that Tehran would adhere to the directives of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei not to engage in talks under sanctions and the threat of bombing.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is reportedly on “high alert,” and has warned that any attack would be met with a forceful response.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Saturday that Tel Aviv hopes to ensure that any negotiations or potential agreement between Tehran and Washington prioritize Israeli interests. Otherwise, Israel would need to coordinate with the US on any possible attack against Iran and its nuclear facilities.
Washington has ordered a major military build-up in the region, including dispatching a squadron of B-52 bombers to the US base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. It has also deployed a second Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) to Israel.
Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, reimposing sweeping sanctions against it as part of a “maximum pressure” policy which the president renewed upon his entry into office for his second term earlier this year.
Tehran insists that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. US intelligence estimates have confirmed this.
