US-Iran live: Critical talks begin in Oman after Trump threatens military action

Oman’s foreign ministry said in a statement on social media that today’s talks would focus on “preparing the appropriate conditions for resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations” between the US and Iran.

The country’s foreign minister held separate talks with his Iranian counterpart and the US delegation, the ministry said.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that the second round of talks between the Iranian delegation and Oman’s foreign minister has ended.

Abbas Araghchi, with Iran, met his Omani counterpart earlier today and presented a preliminary plan to address the current tensions with the US.

The Kremlin said on Friday that it hoped that negotiations between Iran and the United States in Oman would yield results and lead to a de-escalation and urged all sides to show restraint in the meantime.

Iran has seen a sharp increase in raids on the homes of protesters by the Islamic Republic’s military in recent weeks, with a dramatic rise in demand for the death penalty, several lawyers have told Independent Persian.

Reports indicate that the arrests, often on charges related to participation in Iran’s national uprising, have often proceeded without recourse to any legal or judicial process.

“My assessment is that they are waiting to see how things settle with Trump, and if the risk of a military strike subsides, they will execute thousands,” a defence lawyer in the northern Mazandaran province said.

“Even in recent weeks, however, we have received reports of the secret execution of several detainees.”

An Iranian diplomatic source told Reuters that any "presence of CENTCOM [US central command] or any regional military officials in the talks can jeopardise the process of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States" in Oman.

Tehran's clerical leadership remains deeply worried that Trump may still carry out his threats to strike Iran after a military buildup by the US navy near Iran.

Iran’s IRNA news agency is reporting that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is holding talks with Oman’s foreign minister.

Muscat’s top diplomat earlier met with Iran’s Araghchi.

Just hours ahead of Friday's meeting, many questions hovered over the talks, including the scope of the agenda.

While negotiations are expected to focus on Iran's nuclear program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week said the U.S. hoped to discuss other concerns, including Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region and the “treatment of their own people.”

Read the full story:

The US and Iran held talks towards reaching a nuclear peace agreement last April.

Discussions took place in Oman and then a week later in Italy, with Trump hailing good progress.

A top advisor to the regime signalled mid-May that Iran was ready to sign a deal in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

But the enrichment of uranium became a recurring issue: the US said they had to give it up, and Iran said it was their right to do.

Within days, intelligence emerged suggesting Israel was preparing to strike Iran. Officials framed it as a brazen break from Trump’s diplomatic efforts.

And then, two days before talks were due to resume, Israel carried out strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, commanders and nuclear sites in June.

Soon after, the US joined in, dropping bunker buster bombs on key nuclear facilities. US intelligence concluded they had set Iran’s work back by a matter of months.