Global & US Headlines
Muscat Round: U.S. and Iran Resume Oman-Mediated Nuclear Talks Days After Drone Shoot-Down
Four days after a U.S. F-35C downed an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi in Muscat on 6 Feb 2026 for the first Oman-based negotiating round since the June 2025 war.
Focusing Facts
- The drone incident occurred 2 Feb 2026 in the Arabian Sea; no U.S. casualties were reported, according to CENTCOM.
- Direct/indirect talks began 6 Feb 2026 at a palace outside Muscat, with Oman’s FM Badr al-Busaidi shuttling between delegations before brief face-to-face contact.
- Iran successfully shifted the venue from Istanbul to Oman and limited the formal agenda to nuclear issues, sidelining six invited regional states.
Context
Oman once again plays the quiet intermediary role it held in the secret 2013 back-channel that birthed the JCPOA, echoing the even earlier 1986–88 "Tanker War" period when Muscat mediated U.S.–Iran de-escalation amid Gulf skirmishes. The pattern is familiar: military brinkmanship (this time a drone shoot-down and U.S. carrier surge) triggers hurried diplomacy, each side hoping to extract concessions without appearing weak at home. Long-term, the episode illustrates the cyclical nature of U.S.–Iran relations—escalate, sanction, negotiate—driven less by personalities than by structural realities: Iran’s quest for strategic deterrence and Washington’s aim to prevent a regional nuclear breakout while reassuring Gulf partners. Whether the Muscat round becomes a 2020s analogue to the 2015 deal or another aborted overture will shape Gulf security and nuclear proliferation trajectories for decades; on a century scale it may mark just one more turn of a wheel that has spun since 1953, but small hinge points occasionally redirect history’s door.
Perspectives
Pro-Trump or conservative-leaning outlets
e.g., News18, The Nation — Frame the drone shoot-down as proof that US military pressure has forced Iran to the table and highlight President Trump’s claim that talks are already underway. Play up Trump’s strength and downplay the risks of escalation or Iranian grievances, echoing White House talking points almost verbatim.
Hawkish Washington policy commentators
e.g., The Hill — Argue that the Muscat talks are unlikely to yield real concessions because Iran will never curb missiles or regional proxies and can only be contained by continued hard power. Assumes Iranian bad faith and sets maximalist pre-conditions that all but guarantee diplomatic failure, reflecting a long-standing preference for coercion over compromise.
Regional or Iran-sympathetic outlets
e.g., TRT World, ANI — Stress Iran’s readiness to use diplomacy while defending its sovereignty, blame ‘excessive demands or adventurism’ by Washington and urge de-escalation through Oman’s mediation. Echo Tehran’s narrative of victimhood and resistance, giving limited attention to Iran’s own provocations such as the drone approach or tanker harassment. ( TRT World , Asian News International (ANI) )