Top Iran security official is in Oman, the site of talks with the US, likely over nuclear messages

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A apical Iranian information authoritative traveled connected Tuesday to Oman, the Mideast sultanate present mediating talks betwixt Tehran and Washington implicit the Islamic Republic's atomic programme aimed astatine halting a imaginable American strike.

The sojourn by Ali Larijani, a erstwhile Iranian parliament talker who present serves arsenic the caput to the country's Supreme National Security Council, apt focused connected what comes adjacent aft the archetypal circular of indirect talks held past week successful Muscat with the Americans.

Larijani's entourage shared photos of him gathering with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the main intermediary successful the U.S.-Iran talks, with what appeared to beryllium a missive sheathed successful integrative and sitting alongside the Omani diplomat.

Iran has successful the past communicated its positions successful penning erstwhile dealing with the Americans — and famously, Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tried to manus Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a missive from Trump successful 2019 that helium refused to take.

Iranian media had said Larijani would present an important message. However, Iranian authorities tv hours aft that gathering described al-Busaidi arsenic having “handed implicit a letter” to Larijani. It did not elaborate from wherever the missive came.

Larijani besides met with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for astir 3 hours, the state-run IRNA quality bureau reported. Neither Iran nor Oman offered immoderate details connected what had been discussed successful Larijani’s meetings.

Larijani was aboriginal to question to Qatar, which hosts a large U.S. subject installation that Iran attacked successful June aft the U.S. bombed Iranian atomic sites during the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

Iran and the U.S. held caller atomic talks past week successful Oman. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking Sunday to diplomats astatine a acme successful Tehran, signaled that Iran would instrumentality to its presumption that it indispensable beryllium capable to enrich uranium — a large constituent of contention with U.S. President Donald Trump. That warfare disrupted earlier rounds of atomic talks betwixt Washington and Tehran.

“The Muscat meeting, which was not a agelong one, it was a half-day meeting. For america it was a mode to measurement the seriousness of the different side, and to find retired however we could proceed the process. Therefore we mostly addressed the generalities,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told journalists astatine a quality league Tuesday successful Tehran.

“Our principles are clear. Our request is to unafraid the interests of the Iranian federation based connected planetary norms and the Non-Proliferation Treaty and peaceful usage of atomic energy,” Baghaei said. “So arsenic for the details, we should hold for the adjacent steps and spot however this diplomatic process volition continue.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling to Washington this week, with Iran expected to beryllium the large taxable of discussion.

Larijani accused Israel of trying to play a “destructive role” successful the talks.

“Americans indispensable deliberation wisely and not let him, done posturing, to connote earlier his formation that ’I privation to spell and thatch Americans the model of the atomic negotiations,” Larijani said successful a station connected X, formerly Twitter.

Elsewhere, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said determination is “extraordinary alignment” betwixt Washington and Israel implicit the talks with Tehran.

“Everyone would emotion to spot thing that would resoluteness without a war, but it’ll beryllium up to Iran,” said Huckabee earlier helium boarded a formation to Washington with Netanyahu.

The United States has moved the craft bearer USS Abraham Lincoln, ships and warplanes to the Middle East to unit Iran into an statement and person the firepower indispensable to onslaught the Islamic Republic should Trump take to bash so. Already, U.S. forces changeable down a drone they said got excessively adjacent to the Lincoln and came to the assistance of a U.S.-flagged vessel that Iranian forces tried to halt successful the Strait of Hormuz, the constrictive rima of the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Transportation Department's Maritime Administration issued a caller informing Monday to American vessels successful the strait to “remain arsenic acold arsenic imaginable from Iran’s territorial oversea without compromising navigational safety.” The strait, done which a 5th of each lipid traded passes, is successful Iranian and Omani territorial waters. Those traveling into the Persian Gulf indispensable walk done Iranian waters.

Anti-government chants from people's homes

Meanwhile, radical successful assorted neighborhoods of Iran’s superior chanted “death to the dictator” from windows and rooftops connected the eve of the day of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, witnesses said, turning the yearly solemnisation into a protest.

State tv successful caller days has routinely encouraged radical to chant pro-government slogans accompanied by fireworks crossed the city, an yearly ritual successful the country. The authorities has besides planned a rally scheduled for Wednesday to observe the day of the gyration that ousted a pro-West monarchy and brought Islamists to power.

The determination came astir 1 period aft a bloody crackdown successful Iran connected anti-government protests that led to the deaths of thousands of people. Iran has seen a wide crackdown connected protesters since precocious December that extended into January erstwhile Iranians poured into the streets of astatine slightest 192 cities crossed Iran’s 31 provinces, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Monitoring groups accidental astatine slightest 6,854 radical were killed, astir connected Jan. 8-9, but adhd that the existent fig could beryllium triple that magnitude during the unprecedented clampdown. A monthlong net blackout has hidden the afloat grade of what happened, adjacent arsenic much than 50,000 radical person been reported detained.

The protests were immoderate of the biggest anti-government rallies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, wherever crowds crossed societal and economical classes were greater than successful past countrywide rallies.

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