Iran confirms start of indirect talks with US in Oman

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to head to the venue for talks with the US representative, Iranian state TV reported adding that the delegations will be in separate rooms, with Omani officials relaying messages between them.

Two senior Iranian political figures warned that internal disunity and vested domestic interests could undermine negotiations with the United States, as officials from both sides resume contacts in Oman.

Read more here.

Iran’s path to lifting sanctions and reviving talks with the United States depends on sidelining domestic actors who profit from the country’s isolation, Reformist political figure Mohammad Hashemi said.

“To advance negotiations and end sanctions, the government must disarm the so-called sanctions profiteers,” Hashemi told Khabar Online website on Saturday.

“Their power lies in chaos. Without confronting them, real progress is impossible.”

The brother of Iran’s late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani described these groups as few in number but “highly operational” with deep-rooted backing.

He also weighed in on the prospect of renewed talks with Washington, saying, “Trump has no credible track record. He tore up the nuclear deal and ordered military strike on IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani. But he’s also a businessman, not a warmonger. He prefers deals over war.”

Hashemi framed the diplomatic window as narrow but real, and argued that Iran’s negotiators must navigate both internal resistance and external unpredictability.

“The opportunity exists—but only if those who benefit from sanctions are stripped of the tools that allow them to sabotage diplomacy,” he added.

A senior Iranian official on Saturday rejected a New York Times report that said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had shifted his position and approved nuclear talks with the United States, including the possibility of direct negotiations.

Mehdi Fazaeli, deputy chief of the office responsible for publishing Khamenei’s speeches and writings, wrote on X: “The claim by the American newspaper New York Times is merely a psychological operation and pure falsehood.”

The report, which cited two senior Iranian officials, Khamenei gave his approval during a meeting last month with the heads of Iran’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The paper reported that he permitted indirect talks with Washington, and said direct negotiations could take place if initial discussions showed progress.

Tehran’s stock market rallied Saturday morning ahead of a new round of negotiations with the United States in Oman.

“Capital markets experienced a marked uptick on April 11,” wrote EghtesadNews, which said the benchmark index rose by 15,000 points during the first half of trading.

The reform-leaning Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper suggested that hopes for easing pressure on Iran’s currency were helping lift sentiment.

“Some projections indicate that if positive news comes out of the talks, the dollar might even fall below 900,000 rials,” the paper said.

“Such a scenario would shift momentum toward Tehran’s stock exchange.”

The last known direct negotiations between the two governments were under President Barack Obama.