Amid ongoing tensions, representatives from the U.S. and Iran are meeting in Oman this Saturday in a sensitive attempt to revive discussions regarding Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

These discussions, involving a mediator to Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, occur almost seven years after the U.S., under President Donald Trump, unilaterally exited the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since then, indirect talks between the two countries have stalled.

During his time in office, Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran as part of a “maximum pressure” strategy, even suggesting military intervention as an option. Despite this, he expressed optimism about reaching a new agreement, sending a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month.

Khamenei has stated that Iran would retaliate against any U.S.-led attack.

“They threaten actions, but we’re unsure if they’ll occur,” the Supreme Leader commented. “We don’t anticipate external issues. However, if they arise, a strong response is assured.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei condemned such threats as “a shocking affront to International Peace and Security.”

“Violence begets violence, peace begets peace. The U.S. can choose its course… and face the consequences,” he posted on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has dismissed direct negotiations with the U.S. concerning Tehran’s nuclear activities.

“We’re open to talks, but broken promises have created problems,” Pezeshkian stated in a televised Cabinet meeting. “They need to demonstrate trustworthiness.”

Once allies, the two nations have been adversaries for nearly half a century since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which established a theocratic government under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose power was bolstered by a 1953 CIA-backed coup, fled Iran before the revolution due to illness and widespread protests. In late 1979, Iranian university students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding the Shah’s return, triggering the 444-day hostage crisis that severed U.S.-Iran diplomatic ties.

In the years since, Iran-U.S. relations have fluctuated between hostility and cautious diplomacy, reaching a high point with the 2015 nuclear agreement before Trump’s withdrawal, which heightened tensions in the Middle East that remain today.

The original 2015 agreement permitted Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67% purity and maintain a 661-pound stockpile. A recent International Atomic Energy Agency report indicated Iran’s stockpile at 18,286 pounds, with some enriched to 60% purity.

U.S. intelligence suggests Iran hasn’t initiated a weapons program but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.”

Iran has maintained for years that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, Iranian officials are increasingly suggesting the pursuit of nuclear weapons. Iran currently enriches uranium to nearly weapons-grade levels of 60%, making it the only country without a nuclear weapons program to do so.

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