Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Confirms Holding Oman-Brokered Talks With US

Reports have said the US and Iran have been holding indirect negotiations to cool regional tensions

Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani confirmed on Friday that Tehran has been holding Oman-brokered talks with the US amid soaring tensions in the Middle East.

Axios reported last month that senior US officials held indirect negotiations with Iran in Oman about how to avoid escalations in the region. The talks involved Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East official on the National Security Council.

Bagheri Kani was asked about the reports during a trip to Lebanon and said, “We have always continued our negotiations… and they have never stopped.”

The risk of regional escalation is still high as Israel has again ramped up its airstrikes in Syria. Israeli warplanes pounded targets north of Aleppo early Monday morning, and Iran’s semi-official Student News Network reported that an Iranian military advisor was killed in the attack, according to Reuters.

Israel’s April 1 bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which killed a senior Iranian Quds Force general, provoked the first-ever Iranian drone and missile attack on Israeli territory. Iran choreographed its move, giving 72-hour notice to regional countries, making it clear it didn’t want the situation to escalate further, and Israel’s response was muted.

Bagheri Kani’s visit to Lebanon marked his first foreign trip as acting foreign minister since he replaced Hossein Amirabdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash alongside Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on May 19.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.