Top Iranian official Ali Larijani arrived in Oman early on Tuesday following talks between Washington and Tehran last week over the latter’s nuclear programme and efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Iranian state media said that Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is expected to meet Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi during the visit, as well as the country's ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said.
Meetings with Omani officials will centre on views on regional and international developments, as well as economic cooperation between Tehran and Muscat, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister site.
Oman has played a key role in hosting talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in the past, and more recently worked hard to avoid a potential conflict between the US and Iran.
The sultanate will host a second round of talks between the US and Iran, although a date has yet to be set.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that talks between Tehran and Washington were "a step forward" and an "opportunity" to find a solution to the country's ongoing nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump also described the talks on Saturday as "very good", in a sign of a breakthrough on the issue, amid the threat of military action by Washington on Iran.
Araghchi said on Sunday that "there are indications that reflect a degree of seriousness", hinting that Tehran remains firm on its position regarding its uranium enrichment and missile programme.
Iran’s atomic energy chief, Mohammad Eslami, seemed to be open to the idea of Tehran diluting its highly enriched uranium, but that diluting its 60 percent enriched uranium, a threshold close to weapons-grade, would hinge on "whether all sanctions would be lifted in return".
Trump has several times called for Iran to relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent fissile purity.
Last year, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, with little result due to ongoing disagreements over uranium enrichment.
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, and has stopped enrichment activity since Washington joined Israel in striking the country in June.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will head to the US on Tuesday to meet Trump and discuss the ongoing negotiations with Iran.
"Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region," Baqaei said ahead of the meeting.
Political commentators believe Netanyahu may call on Trump to pressure Tehran on its ballistic missile programme.
Iran has said the current talks with the US are based solely on the nuclear issue, while Washington wants Tehran's ballistic missiles programme and regional proxies brought to the table.
New satellite images from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security released on Tuesday suggest that Iran is still concerned about the possibility of strikes or a raid by the US or Israel on its nuclear facilities.
The satellite images show that all the tunnel entrances to Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site have been buried under soil. Two entrances are totally covered, while the third has additional passive defence measures.