Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi delivered components of a U.S.-proposed nuclear deal to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday, signaling a potential step forward in indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the U.S. proposal—sent by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff—is a “detailed and acceptable offer” that Washington expects Iran to accept.
In response, Foreign Minister Araghchi posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Iran would respond “in line with the principles, national interests, and rights of the people of Iran.”
Last Sunday, President Donald Trump stated that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran had made “real progress” and that “good news” could be expected soon. On Friday, he added that a deal was possible in the “not-too-distant future.”
While no official details of the proposal have been released, speculation continues over whether it constitutes a comprehensive agreement or a set of limited interim terms. Reports last week suggested that the U.S. might be pursuing a temporary deal ahead of a permanent agreement, though Iran has publicly dismissed the idea of an interim pact—particularly one that requires the temporary suspension of its uranium enrichment program.
Iran has consistently refused to abandon its enrichment activities entirely. If the U.S. proposal includes a demand for the complete cessation of enrichment, it is likely to be rejected outright by Tehran.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump laid out a hardline vision for any potential agreement, stating, “We want a deal that’s very strong, where we can go in with inspectors, we can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want—but nobody getting killed.”
An advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed that idea as “fantasy.”
Despite the ongoing deadlock, Trump has continued to voice optimism about the state of negotiations. Notably, he appears reluctant to resort to military action. Last week, he told reporters that he had advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon any reported plans for a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.