Washington ‘Drags’ Tehran to Negotiations as Military Option Remains on the Table

US President Donald Trump (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump (Reuters)
TT

Washington ‘Drags’ Tehran to Negotiations as Military Option Remains on the Table

US President Donald Trump (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump (Reuters)

The administration of US President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on Iranian authorities to adopt a clearer stance and to “drag” them into direct negotiations, without ruling out military options.

While attention is focused on the US administration's pressure and its potential success in curbing Iran, the latter may counter Trump by leveraging “international and regional cards,” according to an American researcher.

Earlier, Axios reported that President Trump’s message to Iran set a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, warning of consequences if the offer is rejected and Iran continues its nuclear program.

An American official and two sources familiar with the message told Axios that "Trump does not want open-ended negotiations with the Iranians."

Trump's National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, urged Iran to abandon all elements of its nuclear program, including missiles, armament, and uranium enrichment, or face a full range of other consequences.

While the White House has not officially confirmed a deadline for Tehran, Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, suggested that Trump wants Iran's leadership to focus their thinking on taking a stance and moving seriously toward the negotiating table.

“Iran is facing critical decisions regarding its nuclear program and influence in the Middle East, while the Trump administration is pushing (by setting the deadline) for a clearer response than Iran has given so far,” Katulis told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to Katulis, military action against Iran remains a possibility, but Trump’s approach toward Iran is still unclear.

For his part, Patrick Clawson, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, believes Trump wants to demonstrate his ability to reach agreements on Ukraine, Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran, while Biden has been unable to do so.

Clawson told Asharq Al-Awsat, “In each case, Trump has said: 'Make a deal or you’ll pay a heavy price,' and for Iran, the 'heavy price' will become clear by the summer.”

 

 



Iran FM Araghchi Arrives in Oman Ahead of Nuclear Talks with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives ahead of negotiations with the US, in Muscat, Oman, April 25, 2025. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives ahead of negotiations with the US, in Muscat, Oman, April 25, 2025. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
TT

Iran FM Araghchi Arrives in Oman Ahead of Nuclear Talks with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives ahead of negotiations with the US, in Muscat, Oman, April 25, 2025. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives ahead of negotiations with the US, in Muscat, Oman, April 25, 2025. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman on Friday ahead of fresh nuclear talks with the United States, after both sides said progress had been made in previous rounds.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X that "Araghchi and his accompanying delegation arrived in Muscat for the third round of Iran-US talks".

Iran's Mehr news agency released a brief video showing the foreign minister disembarking from an Iranian government plane in Muscat.

Baqaei said Araghchi would be leading the delegation of diplomats and technical experts in the indirect discussions with the US side.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will represent the United States in the talks.

The latest round will include expert-level talks on Iran's nuclear program, with Michael Anton, who serves as the State Department's head of policy planning, leading the technical discussions on the US side, the department said.

Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi will lead the Iranian technical team.

Baqaei wrote on X that Iran's delegation is "resolved to secure our nation's legitimate and lawful right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes while taking reasonable steps to demonstrate that our program is entirely peaceful".

"Termination of unlawful and inhumane sanctions in an objective and speedy manner is a priority that we seek to achieve," he added.

According to Baqaei, the dialogue will again be mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi on Saturday morning.

The meeting follows two earlier rounds of Omani-mediated negotiations in Muscat and Rome starting on April 12.

- Calling for 'goodwill' -

Since his return to office in January, Trump has reimposed sweeping sanctions under his policy of "maximum pressure" against Tehran.

In March, he sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei calling for talks but warning of possible military action if they failed to produce a deal.

Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons -- an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its program is for peaceful civilian purposes.

Baqaei earlier Friday said "progress in the negotiations requires the demonstration of goodwill, seriousness, and realism by the other side".

Iran will treat Saturday's talks seriously, Araghchi said in a recent interview, "and if the other party also enters seriously, there is potential for progress".

In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from a nuclear deal signed three years earlier between Tehran and major world powers. The agreement eased sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

After Trump's pullout, Tehran complied with the agreement for a year before scaling back its compliance.

Iran currently enriches uranium up to 60 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit in the 2015 deal but still below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.

In an interview published by Time Magazine on Friday, Trump said the United States will "lead the pack" in attacking Iran if nuclear talks do not lead to a new deal.

But he expressed hope that an agreement could be reached and said he would be willing to meet Khamenei.