LONDON -- Negotiating teams from the United States and Iran are expected to meet on Friday in Oman, marking a reopening of nuclear talks following weeks of tensions and threats, as leaders in Tehran oversaw a deadly crackdown on widespread protests. The U.S.side will be led by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to the White House."The President has obviously been quite clear in his demands of the Iranian regime," Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday during a press briefing.
"Zero nuclear capability is something he's been very explicit about."Iranian state-run media published photos and videos early on Friday of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Omani capital, where he met with his local counterpart."Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year.We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights," Araghchi said on social media on Friday.In this handout photo released by the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Feb.
6, 2026, U.S.special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Oman's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi pose for during a meeting in Muscat.Omani Foreign Ministry via AFP via Getty ImagesThe talks, which were expected to begin at 10 a.m.
local time, followed weeks of escalating tension between the U.S.and Iran, fueled in part by massive protests that have roiled Iran.Those protests began in Tehran in late December in response to the collapse of the Iranian currency and the worsening of economic conditions, and then quickly took on a political character -- with crowds on the streets openly calling for regime change.Iranian authorities responded by launching a brutal crackdown on protests, according to observers.
At least 6,495 protesters, along with hundreds of members of the state's security forces, have been killed, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency, an activist group.The group said it was reviewing thousands...