Iran Braces for Critical U.S. Showdown

After initially backing out when Iran shifted the terms of the meeting, the Trump Administration has announced that it will still meet with Iranian officials regarding a new nuclear deal.

The meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is this Friday in Oman.

As reported by Axios:

Plans for U.S.- Iran nuclear talks on Friday are back on, after several Middle Eastern leaders urgently lobbied the Trump administration on Wednesday afternoon not to follow through on threats to walk away, two U.S. officials told Axios. . . .

• Talks will be held in Oman, as Iran insisted, despite the U.S. initially rejecting changes to the original plan to meet in Istanbul. . . .

The standoff had sparked fears across the Middle East that President Trump would pivot to military action. At least nine countries from the region reached out to the White House at the highest levels strongly urging the U.S. not to cancel the meeting. . . .

• The Iranians said on Tuesday that they wanted to move the talks to Oman and hold them in a bilateral format, to ensure that they focused only on nuclear issues and not other matters like missiles that are priorities for the U.S. countries in the region.

According to the report, one U.S. official explained:  “They asked us to keep the meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say. We have told the Arabs that we will do the meeting if they insist. But we are very skeptical.”

It’s no secret that the relationship between the U.S. and Iran has always been complicated, to say the least, but right now it feels less like traditional diplomacy and more like a high-stakes chess game where every move – and every delay – carries real consequences.

The original plan was to meet in Turkey to discuss not just Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but its heinous human rights abuses, its ballistic missile program, and its ongoing support of terrorist proxy groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. But now the venue has been changed from Istanbul to Oman at Iran’s demand. That switch alone should raise eyebrows.

And let’s be clear: Changing the location of a critical diplomatic meeting at the last second is not some logistical hiccup – it’s a tactic. Iran demanded not only that the meeting be moved to Oman, but that the agenda be limited to nuclear issues only. All other subjects are off the table.

For a moment, the response from the Trump Administration was to walk away from the deal. But after calls from other allies in the area, concerned about the prospect of war breaking out in their backyard, the U.S. has agreed to move the talks, emphasizing respect for allies and a continued commitment to diplomacy.

Now the question of what exactly will be negotiated at this meeting remains a bit hazy. And that is a concern not just geopolitically, but morally. At the ACLJ, we are directly involved in this issue, having just filed an urgent submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council calling out Iran’s persecution of Christians.

And after the protests that swept across Iran, and the violent crackdowns by the regime, President Trump appeared to draw a red line when Iranian civilians were being killed, even telling the people of Iran that “help is on the way.” It seems that the ominous statement from the President brought Iran back to the table.

So naturally, now there’s some concern that if negotiations are only allowed to focus on nuclear power, does that mean everything else – specifically the egregious human rights violations and violence – gets swept under the rug?

After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve been here with Iran. Last year, Iran missed a 60-day deadline to make a deal, and a frustrated Trump Administration responded with Operation Midnight Hammer, taking military action to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities. And the regime knows this. Yet here they are again, moving goalposts, changing venues, trying to narrow terms. It almost suggests that they still think time is on their side.

Most Americans don’t want another war. That’s clear. President Trump ran on a record of “no new wars.” I’m sure he’d like to leave office in a few years with that record intact. But no American should accept another bad nuclear deal that makes us less safe and leaves the Iranian people trapped under the boot of a cruel regime.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of Iran’s move to change the venue of the negotiations, as well as refusing to discuss its human rights abuses or funding of terrorism. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell joined us on the broadcast and offered his insight into the diplomatic process and what we can expect next.

Watch the full broadcast below: