Iran's top diplomat says indirect US-Iran talks in Oman were 'good start'
Muscat (AP): Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman over Tehran's nuclear program on Friday, months after America bombed Iran's uranium enrichment sites and just weeks following nationwide protests that convulsed the Islamic Republic.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as “a very good start" even as the parties met Oman's top diplomat at different times at a palace on the outskirts of the country's capital, Muscat.
Both Araghchi and the Omanis described the talks themselves as focused on merely trying to find a way to hold future negotiations — seemingly returning to the start of discussions about the Iranian nuclear program that unfolded over months a year ago, before Israel launched its 12-day war on Iran in June.
The US side, represented by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, had no immediate comment on the talks.
In an unusual development, US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military's Central Command, also attended the meeting — something that did not happen in previous rounds and likely served as a signal to Tehran that Washington may still strike Iran if negotiations fail.
With the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships in the region, along with more fighter jets, the US now likely has the military firepower to launch an attack if it wanted. But whether attacks could be enough to force Iran to change its ways — or potentially topple its government — remains far from a sure thing.
Meanwhile, Gulf Arab nations fear an attack could spark a regional war dragging them in as well. That threat is real — already, US forces shot down an Iranian drone near the Lincoln and Iran attempted to stop a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's top diplomat offers a positive note
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Araghchi offered cautious optimism as he spoke in a live interview from Muscat, Oman, on Iranian state television. He described Friday's talks as taking place over multiple rounds and said that they were focused primarily on finding a framework for further negotiations.
“We will hold consultations with our capitals regarding the next steps, and the results will be conveyed to Oman foreign minister,” Araghchi said.
“The mistrust that has developed is a serious challenge facing the negotiations,” Araghchi said. “We must first address this issue, and then enter into the next level of negotiations.”
Omani palace hosts talks
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The palace, near Muscat's international airport, had been used by Oman in earlier talks Iran-US talks in 2025. Associated Press journalists saw Iranian officials at the palace and later returning to their hotel.
Only after the Iranian vehicles left did another convoy, including an SUV flying the American flag, enter the palace grounds, where it stayed for about an hour and a half, AP journalists saw.
After that, Oman's Foreign Ministry published a statement saying that the sultanate's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, met separately with Araghchi, then with the Americans.
“The consultations focused on preparing the appropriate circumstances for resuming the diplomatic and technical negotiations by ensuring the importance of these negotiations, in light of the parties' determination to ensure their success in achieving sustainable security and stability,” the Omani announcement said.
Nuclear program on the table at the least
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It remains unclear just what terms Iran is willing to negotiate at the talks. Tehran has maintained that these talks will only be on its nuclear program. However, Al Jazeera satellite news channel reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar offered Iran a proposal in which Tehran would halt enrichment for three years, send its highly enriched uranium out of the country and pledge “not initiate the use of ballistic missiles.”
Russia had signalled it would take the uranium, but Iran has said ending the program or shipping out the uranium were nonstarters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the talks needed to include all those issues.
“I'm not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we're going to try to find out,” he said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
