Talks between the USA and Iran Is a new nuclear deal on the way?
Iran operates an underground uranium enrichment plant in Natan.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
The only nuclear power plant in Iran is located in the port city of Bushehr.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leads the negotiating team.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi negotiated in Oman.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Iran operates an underground uranium enrichment plant in Natan.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
The only nuclear power plant in Iran is located in the port city of Bushehr.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leads the negotiating team.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi negotiated in Oman.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
The deadlocked nuclear dispute between the West and the Islamic Republic of Iran is moving forward with the mediation of Oman. The key questions and answers to the conflict.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- After years of stalemate, there is now movement in the dialog over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
- Iran and the USA have agreed to resume talks next Saturday.
- While Tehran emphasizes that it will only use it for civilian purposes, governments in the West fear the construction of a nuclear bomb.
- Experts doubt that the nuclear program could be stopped by a military strike.
- US special envoy Steve Witkoff has indicated a willingness to compromise.
US President Donald Trump had recently threatened Iran with a massive bombardment - now, for the first time in years of diplomatic ice age, there is movement in the dialog over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. According to reports from Tehran and Washington, the first round of talks between Iran and the USA, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, took place in a constructive atmosphere. Both sides agreed to continue the talks next Saturday. Answers to key questions:
What are the talks about?
At the heart of the dispute is Iran's nuclear program. While Tehran emphasizes that it will only use this for civilian purposes, governments in the West fear the construction of a nuclear bomb. Iranian politicians and officers have recently fueled the debate with demands for nuclear weapons as a military deterrent.
In 2015, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in the Vienna nuclear deal after lengthy negotiations with contractual partners - including China, Russia, the USA, France, Germany and the UK. However, US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and imposed new, tough sanctions. As a result, Tehran no longer complied with the conditions of the agreement.
What is the US government now demanding from Tehran?
Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz demanded a "complete dismantling" of Iran's nuclear program. Tehran immediately rejected this demand. Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with military force if Tehran does not agree to a new agreement to limit its nuclear program. Iran's head of state Ali Khamenei, however, emphasized that he did not want to conduct negotiations under pressure. Shortly before the start of the talks, Trump said in a somewhat more conciliatory tone: "I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country, but it must not have a nuclear weapon."
Is the USA prepared to compromise?
US special envoy Steve Witkoff hinted at a willingness to compromise before the meeting. Iran must not be in a position to build a nuclear bomb, that is the "red line" for the USA, the US special envoy told the Wall Street Journal. The US newspaper quoted Witkoff as saying that the USA would enter into dialogue with the demand to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program. That was the starting position, Witkoff said, but added: "That doesn't mean, by the way, that we won't find other ways on the sidelines to find a compromise between the two countries."
Why is time pressing for a new deal?
Uranium only needs to be slightly enriched for civilian use, for example in nuclear power. However, Iran is currently also enriching uranium to a purity level of 60 percent. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has repeatedly pointed out that Iran is the only state without nuclear weapons that produces such almost weapons-grade material.
The Vienna Agreement formally expires in October 2025 - even if it is no longer implemented in practice. This eliminates the possibility of using the so-called snapback mechanism to reinstate old and strict UN sanctions against Iran without major resistance. European diplomats have therefore recently been pushing for progress in the negotiations. The USA can no longer trigger the mechanism after Trump's withdrawal.
How does the current round differ from previous talks?
The talks have been stalled for years. The violent crackdown by Iranian security forces against the protests under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" in the fall of 2022 pushed Tehran further into political isolation. There has been no significant progress at the few meetings between European and Iranian representatives since then.
What is new now is that Iran is once again taking part in the negotiations at a high level - with a delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, an experienced diplomat with expertise in nuclear negotiations. Witkoff, in turn, is considered a close confidant of Trump.
What does Iran hope to gain from the talks?
Iran's government has two main hopes for the prospect of a new deal: an easing of military tensions in the region and the lifting of sanctions, as Iran expert Hamidreza Azizi explains in an article for the European Leadership Network. Despite bad experiences with the Trump administration, there is broad support for the negotiations.
Even the prospect of a discussion format with the USA has sparked new hope in Iran - with an immediate impact on the currency market. The national currency, the rial, has since gained around five percent against the euro. In recent months, the currency had fallen steadily in the face of gloomy economic prospects, fears of war and threats from Trump.
How likely is a new nuclear deal?
Before the first talks in Oman, the US government significantly dampened expectations. "These are not negotiations, this is a meeting," said US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. They merely wanted to explore what was possible in principle. "It's a contact - and nothing more," said Bruce.
Insiders in Tehran, however, are urging patience. A deal could take longer than a year. The atmosphere at the first meeting between Witkoff and Araghchi was crucial. However, a failure with subsequent military escalation cannot be ruled out, they say. However, with the war in Ukraine, the Gaza conflict and the global customs dispute, Trump currently has plenty of other issues to deal with. An escalation with Iran is not necessarily on his agenda at the moment.
What role does the conflict between Iran and Israel play?
Israel is wary of a possible new nuclear deal with Iran. In the past year, the two countries have been on the brink of open war several times. Israel repeatedly threatened to attack Iranian nuclear facilities. For decades, the Iranian leadership has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Israel and the USA agree that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently in Washington. Netanyahu, once one of the fiercest critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement, emphasized that a new deal would be acceptable if it led to the destruction of all Iranian nuclear facilities. It is almost impossible that Tehran will agree to such a demand.
Can the Iranian nuclear program be stopped militarily?
Experts doubt that the nuclear program could be stopped by a military strike. This would be an "extraordinarily complex military operation", according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. In addition, the centrifuge program could be rebuilt relatively quickly.
According to experts, air strikes would only set back the nuclear program for a while, but not stop it in the long term. In addition, a military strike could encourage Iran to develop nuclear weapons all the more.
Iran's leadership has already threatened to retaliate in the event of an attack. The country has an unknown number of underground missiles that can reach Israel. The navy has also announced that it could block the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, which is important for oil exports, at any time. At the same time, Iran's key allies - Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip - have been extremely weakened by the actions of the Israeli military since the massacre on October 7, 2023. In Syria, Tehran recently lost long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad as an ally.
Why are the talks taking place in Oman?
The desert state maintains good relations with Washington and Tehran and has repeatedly made a name for itself as a discreet mediator in crises. Because of its pragmatic attitude and the principle of non-interference, the Sultanate is also known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East".