US-Iran nuclear talks hit a sweet spot in Oman

"Welcome to the land of beauty and opportunity". These are the words that give passengers pause when leaving their aircraft at Muscat's International Airport.

More than just a phrase projected on a grey wall, the statement rang true on Saturday when a meeting between long-term rivals turned into an opportunity for peace in the region.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led a delegation while US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff headed another. It could have been a recipe for grave disappointment. Still, the meeting offered room for hope after the two sides agreed, following indirect talks and an unexpected brief encounter, to continue negotiations on a new nuclear agreement.

Both sides got what they wanted. Iran insisted that talks would be done indirectly with Oman as the mediator. This came after US President Donald Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, announced that the US would hold direct meetings with Iran.

"So, the Iranians got their indirect opening. The Americans got the direct engagement. And the scoping exercise appears to have given both just enough to return to capitals with a scheduled resumption," said think tank Crisis Group's Iran project director Ali Vaez.

Signs of openness, but also threats, have preceded the negotiations, the first between a Trump administration eager for a quick deal and an Iranian leadership determined to show the country is not yet at its weakest point, despite the heavy blows it and its proxies have endured in the past 18 months.

With only a few months to go before Termination Day comes in October for the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was agreed to by former US president Barack Obama, the pressure is on for Iran to comply with an agreement before more sanctions hit.

This time, the faces were new, the atmosphere different, and the stakes for the region are higher than ever if de-escalation and containment are not made immediate priorities. The good news, experts say, is that in today’s climate, the chances of reaching at least a preliminary agreement are higher than before.

Bright atmosphere

In this shifting atmosphere, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a different tone on Wednesday, extending a welcome to US investors, marking a departure from the combative rhetoric typically directed at Tehran’s chief adversaries. On the other side, US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus told The National in an interview that the Trump administration is packed with officials focused on “deliverables” and “outcomes”.

Before heading to Oman, Mr Witkoff told the Wall Street Journal there would be room for compromise, even though the US's goal is for the complete dismantlement of Iran's nuclear programme.

And in just under three hours, the atmosphere in Oman was already brighter.

"I would like to thank my two colleagues for this engagement which took place in a friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security and stability," Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote on X, just after the talks concluded.

The positive indications by both parties were seen even by observers such as senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Holly Dagres, who also noted that so far, it had been Iran who had been on top of the messaging.

"Both sides appeared, at least via their rhetoric, interested in getting to a deal in recent weeks."

Oman, known for its delicacies and track record for being a place of choice for difficult conversations, may have hit a sweet spot for the US and Iran, giving both sides just enough to feel optimistic about a future agreement.

It remains to be seen whether the talks, announced by Iran to resume a week later, will yield the same positive outcomes.