U.S. and Iran racing toward explosion as nuclear talks set to resume 

Top U.S. and Iranian negotiators will resume nuclear talks today (Sunday) in Oman, as both sides try to bridge deep divides ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

While both Washington and Tehran claim to favor diplomacy, their positions remain far apart and failure could edge the region closer to conflict.

The talks, held through Omani mediation, mark the fourth round of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. The meeting was initially set for May 3 in Rome but was delayed for what Oman cited as “logistical reasons.”

Witkoff, speaking to Breitbart News on Thursday, emphasized the U.S. position: “No enrichment. That means dismantlement, no weaponization,” referring to Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.

“If they are not productive on Sunday, then they won't continue and we'll have to take a different route,” Witkoff added.

Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE from May 13 - 16, with the outcome of the nuclear talks likely to shape the tone of the trip. The president has repeatedly warned that failure to reach an agreement could result in military action.

Araqchi responded sharply to Witkoff’s comments, warning that Iran “will not back down from any of its rights.”

“Iran continues negotiations in good faith … if the aim of these talks is to limit Iran's nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights,” he said Saturday.

Tehran has indicated a willingness to accept limited restrictions in exchange for sanctions relief, but “Iran's red lines that could not be compromised” include retaining its enrichment program and its stockpile of enriched uranium.

A senior Iranian official close to the negotiating team warned that the U.S. demands for “zero enrichment and dismantling Iran's nuclear sites would not help in progressing the negotiations.”

“What the U.S. says publicly differs from what is said in negotiations,” the official added.

Iran has also ruled out discussing its ballistic missile program and is demanding “watertight guarantees” that Trump would not again abandon a nuclear pact.

Since February, the Trump administration has reinstated its “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran, reversing the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump exited in 2018.

In response, Iran has steadily escalated its nuclear program, including the “dramatically” increased enrichment of uranium to 60% purity, just shy of the 90% level required for nuclear weapons, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.