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.



US Strikes against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, US, June 22, 2025 in this still image taken from handout video. Reuters TV/US Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, US, June 22, 2025 in this still image taken from handout video. Reuters TV/US Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS
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US Strikes against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, US, June 22, 2025 in this still image taken from handout video. Reuters TV/US Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, US, June 22, 2025 in this still image taken from handout video. Reuters TV/US Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS

The US military's strikes on Iran's nuclear sites were not a preamble to plans for regime change, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, adding that private messages had been sent to Tehran encouraging them to negotiate.

Still, Hegseth warned Iran against following through with past threats of retaliation against the United States, and said US forces were postured to defend themselves, and take action if needed, Reuters reported.

"This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Hegseth told a reporters at the Pentagon. "The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program."

The US strikes included 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft, in an operation the top US general, General Dan Caine, said was named "Operation Midnight."

Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact.

Caine said the US military had increased protection of troops in the region, including in Iraq and Syria.

"Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice," Caine said.