Iran and US present last demands ahead of crunch 'nuclear talks'

Iranian and American officials are preparing for the first set of direct talks between Washington and Tehran since a war of words between the two countries threatened a new conflict in the Gulf.

The meeting is set to take place on Friday in Muscat at 10am local time, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Wednesday, after Tehran requested the location be changed from Turkey to Oman. Araghchi will be joined by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff from the American side.

Oman had hosted previous talks between the US and Iran last year, with the two countries holding five rounds before Israel’s attacks on Tehran in June. It was also critical to the Iran-US nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from during his first term in office.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that in order for the talks to be meaningful, they would need to include a wide range of topics including Iran’s ballistic missile programme, its support for regional proxies, and "the treatment of their own people".

Although Rubio’s comments suggest the Trump administration is leaving the door open for limited negotiations, he also said he was "not sure you can reach a deal with these guys".

Tehran, on the other hand, appears to be seeking to isolate the discussions to its nuclear programme while avoiding any expansion of the talks to discussions on its ballistic missile arsenal.

The biggest obstacle appears to be on Washington's aim of limiting the range of ballistic missiles to within Iran’s borders, an issue which has been a source of pressure from Israel and the US.

Iran had previously ruled out discussion on its missiles during the previous rounds of talks, emphasising the country’s use of the weapon as "self-defence".

Security sources have hinted at the possibility that Iran would be willing to commit to zero enrichment of uranium for a period of three years, followed by levels below 1.5 percent in the subsequent years.

Araghchi held a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, on Wednesday, while Trump called China’s Xi Jinping, signalling at Beijing also playing a role in urging Tehran to pursue negotiations despite the country retaining significant oil projects in Iran.

Meanwhile, threats persist from within the Trump administration. In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Trump said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "should be very worried" as the US continues to bolster its military presence in the region.

Vice President JD Vance likewise hinted that US attacks on Iran remain a possibility, saying Trump would strike Iran "if he feels like military is the only option".