Oman says new round of Iran-US talks delayed for 'logistical' reasons

"You heard Secretary Hegseth say Iran needs to wake up. Iran needs to get the message that it can be a responsible country. The president of the United States wants peace, he's ready to make a deal, and that it cannot have a nuclear weapon," national security adviser Mike Waltz said in an interview with Fox News.

"Not only can it not have a nuclear weapon, it cannot provide funding, resources, missiles and assistance to a terrorist organization that is attacking international shipping, attacking United States assets, shooting at our planes. Enough is enough, and the President has been loud and clear."

"We sincerely hope Iran receives that message, and again, our great ambassador Witkoff is waiting for them to come back to the table."

More than 1,100 people were rescued within hours of the explosion and fire at Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas, said Iran’s Red Crescent chief on Thursday.
Over 340 rescue workers and specialists were deployed immediately after the blast, Pir Hossein Kolivand told reporters.

“Only 30 people remain hospitalized,” he said, adding that there were no reports of theft or security breaches at the site.

The fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks, initially scheduled for this Saturday in Rome, is likely to be postponed until next week, Axios reported citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Axios added that the delay may also impact the planned meeting between Iran and the E3 nations—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—set for Friday in Rome.

The editor of Iran’s ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari, criticized Iranian negotiators for taking seriously European threats to trigger UN snapback sanctions, saying the 2015 nuclear deal is no longer valid.

In an editorial published Thursday, Shariatmadari wrote, “Is there even a JCPOA left for the snapback mechanism to apply to?” He added, “Europe has no independence and is once again playing the role of ‘bad cop’ to deceive us.”

Shariatmadari, whose paper is managed under the supervision of the Supreme Leader’s office, argued that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) lost legal standing after the US withdrawal in 2018, and that the European troika’s latest threat was “empty.”

His comments came after France’s foreign minister warned that Paris could initiate the snapback process if talks with Iran fail to address European security concerns.

A Tehran MP has accused entrenched corruption of derailing efforts to install X-ray scanners at Iran’s ports, warning that the absence of basic security measures has left the country exposed.
“There’s a power struggle over which company gets the contract,” said Morteza Mahmoudi, who visited Bandar Rajaei after a devastating fire engulfed thousands of containers.

Mahmoudi said rent-seeking interests have blocked the purchase of screening equipment critical to national safety.
“This is tied to the country’s security, but it’s being sabotaged by behind-the-scenes power games,” he added.

The MP said that at the time of the explosion, over 3,600 containers were piled at the site, with 2,000 of them catching fire. He blamed negligence, poor oversight, and lack of non-military defense planning for the disaster.