Iran seeks ‘real, fair’ deal in nuclear talks with US

TEHRAN: Iran seeks a “real and fair” agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.

Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

US President Donald Trump last month wrote to Khamenei urging negotiations, but warning of possible military action if Iran refuses.

“Far from putting up a show and merely talking in front of the cameras, Tehran is seeking a real and fair agreement, important and implementable proposals are ready,” Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani posted on X.

He confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was heading to Oman “with full authority for indirect negotiations with America”, adding that if Washington showed goodwill, the path forward would be “smooth”.

Ahead of the talks, Trump reiterated that military action was “absolutely” possible if they failed.

Iran responded by saying Tehran could expel UN nuclear inspectors, prompting another US warning that this would be an “escalation”. Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

On Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was “giving diplomacy a genuine chance in good faith and full vigilance”.

“America should appreciate this decision, which was made despite their hostile rhetoric,” he said. The talks were first announced by Trump during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.

He said they would be high-level and “direct”, but Iran insisted they would be “indirect”.

“The talks will be conducted indirectly through the exchange of texts,” claimed Iran’s Fars news agency, without naming a source.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt insisted Friday that the talks would be direct, “and I want to make that very clear”. “The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room,” she told reporters in Washington.

Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff are due to lead the talks in Oman, which has played a mediating role on the Iran nuclear issue.

Witkoff visited Iran’s ally Russia on Friday for talks on Ukraine with President Vladimir Putin.

Hardline Iranian media are sceptical about the talks.

The Kayhan newspaper warned that entering negotiations with the United States in a bid to lift sanctions was a “failed strategy”. During his first term, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions. Tehran adhered to the deal for a year before rolling back its own commitments.