TEHRAN: Iran has confirmed holding indirect talks with the United States in Oman, despite the absence of diplomatic ties between the two nations, state media reported.
Washington and Tehran have been at odds, primarily due to Iran’s nuclear program and heightened tensions from the Gaza war involving their allies, Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, Axios reported that officials from the U.S. and Iran engaged in indirect talks in Oman. The discussions aimed to prevent escalating regional attacks.
The official IRNA news agency announced on Saturday that Iran’s UN representative confirmed these indirect negotiations. He mentioned that this was not the first instance and wouldn’t be the last but did not specify the timing or location.
These talks followed Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13-14. This assault was a response to an April 1 airstrike, widely attributed to Israel, which destroyed Iran’s consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
The Israeli military reported that most of the over 300 missiles and drones from Iran were intercepted with U.S. and allied assistance, resulting in minimal damage.
Less than a week later, explosions rocked a site in Iran’s Isfahan province, reportedly an Israeli retaliation.
Tehran downplayed the Israeli raid and stated it would only respond if Iranian interests were targeted again. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Israel has been Iran’s sworn enemy.
Regional tensions have soared since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza, involving Iran-backed groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran. The two adversaries have recently engaged in indirect talks on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, prisoner swaps, and releasing Iran’s frozen funds abroad.