Iran, Oman Discuss Nuclear Talks

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi with Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (ONA)
Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi with Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (ONA)
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Iran, Oman Discuss Nuclear Talks

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi with Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (ONA)
Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi with Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (ONA)

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi discussed with Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani the latest developments on the nuclear agreement known as the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" (JCPOA).

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement carried out by the state-run Agency (ISNA), saying Bagheri-Kani held consultations with Busaidi on regional and bilateral developments and follow-up on the agreements signed during the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Muscat.

According to Oman News Agency (ONA), the two sides reviewed relations of cooperation between Oman and Iran.

They also discussed several regional and international matters of common interest, particularly the developments regarding the return to the nuclear deal, ONA reported.

The meeting stressed the importance of this deal in maintaining regional security and stability.

This is Bagheri-Kani's second foreign visit within a week, after his unannounced trip to Moscow, in the first diplomatic move after the failure of the latest rounds of talks in Doha.

Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the Secretary-General of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, on the nuclear negotiations.

Abdollahian said Iran is making no demands outside the parameters of its 2015 nuclear deal, asserting: "We have no requirement which goes beyond the nuclear agreement -- contrary to certain claims by the US party in the media."

He noted that the recent talks in Doha focused on the issue of guarantees, stating: "During the recent talks in Doha, one of the main questions we focused on was an effective guarantee from Washington assuring us of economic advantages linked to the agreement."

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Abbaszadeh criticized the Iranian Foreign Ministry for the lack of results in the Doha talks.

Abbaszadeh, the spokesman of the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, downplayed Abdollahian's statement about Tehran's "positive" assessment of the last round, noting that the US special envoy to Iran, Rob Malley, described it as a "waste of time."

"We could have worked better in Doha," said the lawmaker, adding: "We did not enter into the Doha talks with a calculated plan and a road map."

"The reason is that our foreign diplomacy apparatus does not have a well-prepared road map in this regard," said Abbaszadeh.



Students Sue Texas University, Governor over Gaza Protest Arrests

A military excavator operates in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A military excavator operates in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Students Sue Texas University, Governor over Gaza Protest Arrests

A military excavator operates in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A military excavator operates in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Four current and former University of Texas at Austin students sued the college and Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday, alleging they faced unlawful arrest and retaliatory discipline for demonstrating against Israel's assault on Gaza.
The lawsuit is among a wave of legal actions against US universities, law enforcement and state leaders over their handling of pro-Palestinian student protests that erupted in the Spring of 2024.
Filed in US District Court in San Antonio by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) on behalf of the students, the lawsuit accuses UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, Abbott and law enforcement officers of intentionally suppressing pro-Palestinian speech at an April 24, 2024, campus protest.
According to the filing, Abbott, with the consent of Hartzell, ordered state police in riot gear to carry out mass arrests, violating protesters' First Amendment rights to assemble and express their opinions.
In response to the lawsuit, UT Austin spokesperson Mike Rosen referred to statements the university made after the arrests saying it acted to preserve campus safety, enforce protest rules, and that most arrests were of people from outside the university.
Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In a social media post during the arrests, Abbott said: "Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas."
Two students named in the suit said they wanted to protect others from the physical and mental harm they had suffered.
"It is reclaiming our narrative because we were treated as antisemitic criminals," said Arwyn Heilrayne, a second-year student, who experienced a panic attack after she was knocked to the ground by police and had her wrists tightly zip-tied.
She has since had to leave an internship at the state legislature and been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of her arrest, she said.
Mia Cisco said suing the university took on a new urgency as she watched the Trump administration try to deport foreign students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy.
"It's really vital and crucial right now to make sure that that we say that it's not okay," said Cisco, a third-year student, who had her hijab forcibly removed by police following her arrest.
Dozens of demonstrators were taken into custody at the protest then released two days later after the Travis County Attorney's Office said charges were dropped due to a lack of probable cause.
All students arrested faced university disciplinary action, according to the lawsuit.
ADC Director Abed Ayoub saw most Americans, especially Texans, backing free speech for pro-Palestinian protesters.
"Governor Abbott and others are underestimating how much Americans value their First Amendment rights," said Ayoub.