Oman will decide venue of next US-Iran talks, Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran continues to maintain close consultations with Russia on nuclear issues, upon arriving in Moscow on Thursday.

“We have always consulted closely with our Russian friends on nuclear matters,” Araghchi said, according to Iranian media. “We’ve coordinated our positions both in the past and now with Russia and China.”

Araghchi noted that the trip, originally planned to deliver a written message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, coincided with recent developments including talks with the United States.

He said discussions with Russian officials would also cover bilateral economic and political projects, as well as regional issues such as Israel, threats in West Asia, and the war in Ukraine.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization on Thursday, where he toured an exhibition showcasing the country’s latest nuclear achievements, Iranian media reported.

Grossi was briefed on recent developments in fuel cycle technology, nuclear power, heavy water production, radiopharmaceuticals, plasma and quantum technologies, fusion, lasers, agricultural applications, and industrial accelerators.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Thursday that he had called for a strike on Iran’s oil infrastructure last October, arguing it would cripple the country’s economy and lead to the downfall of its government.

“Eliminating Iran’s oil industry would destroy its economy and eventually topple the regime,” Lapid wrote on X. “Netanyahu was afraid and stopped it.”

The comment came in response to a New York Times report that US President Donald Trump had rejected Israeli proposals to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, opting instead to pursue diplomatic talks with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman is scheduled to visit Iran on Thursday at the head of a senior military delegation, Iranian media reported.

He will travel to Tehran at the invitation of Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, and is expected to hold meetings with top political and security officials.

Talks will focus on "expanding defense cooperation, promoting regional peace and stability, and joint efforts to combat terrorism", according to the report.

Iran’s hardline Javan newspaper, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said on Thursday that while nuclear talks with the United States continue, the country’s armed forces remain on alert and focused on building power.

“From a realistic perspective, the battlefield is not overlooked — our soldiers remain on alert, finger on the trigger, and committed to strengthening and expanding the country’s military power,” the paper wrote in an editorial.

The article criticized both overly optimistic and deeply pessimistic views of the diplomatic process, warning that extreme attitudes could divide public opinion. It backed a “realistic” stance echoing recent remarks by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who said Tehran was neither “too optimistic nor too pessimistic” about the talks.

The editorial said a sober approach would allow Iranian negotiators to continue with “strength and confidence,” without sending signals of weakness.