The US president's Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will travel to Oman on Sunday to attend a fourth round of talks with Iran, Axios reported.
"As in the past, we expect both direct and indirect discussions", the report said citing a source familiar with the trip.
The annual AAM Awards recognize "outstanding leaders whose work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate, and empower."
Iran International was recognized for its efforts in bringing the voices of the Iranian people to a global audience and its commitment to accurate and transparent reporting.
This year’s recipients also included Dr. Mathias Döpfner, chairman and CEO of Axel Springer SE—parent company of Politico and Business Insider—and a board member at Netflix; Oscar-nominated Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri, known for The Insult and The Attack; and Moira Forbes, president and publisher of Forbes Women.
Republican Senator Dave McCormick, US presidential deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, French Ambassador Laurent Bili, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran, and Azerbaijani Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim were among notable guests attending the event held at Fairmont hotel.
The AAM initiative celebrates those who contribute to media education, empowerment, and impactful storytelling, especially in challenging environments. The ceremony gathers diplomats, politicians, and cultural figures from around the world to highlight the importance of dialogue and press freedom.
Receiving the award, the executive editor of Iran International in Washington DC Mehdi Parpanchi said, “Iran International is right now the most-watched news channel among Iranians—inside the country and across the diaspora. And we are the only 24/7 newsroom fully dedicated to covering Iran."
“That’s not a technical setup—it’s a line of communication in the dark," he added.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, Parpanchi dedicated the award to the network’s audience and said a significant portion of the channel’s content is drawn from firsthand accounts sent by citizens across Iran.
In May 2024, Iran International was awarded with the 2024 Geneva Summit Courage Award for "fearlessly uncovering the daily abuses of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that Tehran will not abandon its position on uranium enrichment in nuclear talks, and accused US President Donald Trump and Israel of undermining negotiations, Iranian state media reported.
“One day he says Iran can have nuclear energy, the next day he says Iran’s nuclear program must be dismantled,” said Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, the Friday prayer leader in the city of Qom, according to state media. “Trump only follows his own political agenda.”
Bushehri said three rounds of indirect negotiations had taken place so far, but efforts had been hampered by Washington’s changing demands and what he described as interference by “the Zionist lobby,” which he said had narrowed the space for diplomacy.
“Despite all this, we continue to support our country’s dignity and the rights of the Iranian nation,” he said. “We will not abandon our position, which is enrichment.”
