President Donald Trump stays adamant that his administration will have interaction in “direct” nuclear talks with Iran on Saturday in Oman, whereas Tehran seems to stay equally steadfast in its insistence the negotiations will likely be “oblique.”
Center East envoy Stever Witkoff is scheduled to journey to Oman, the place he might doubtlessly be assembly with Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi, although the Iranian official has thus far maintained the talks will likely be held by a 3rd occasion.
Whereas it stays unclear who will get their approach relating to the format of the discussions, Iran knowledgeable and senior fellow on the Basis for Protection of Democracies, Behnam Ben Taleblu, mentioned this public controversy between Washington and Tehran is all a sport of leverage.
“Either side have an incentive to both overrepresent or underrepresent what is occurring,” he informed Fox Information Digital. “These are sometimes the negotiations earlier than the negotiations.”
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he indicators govt orders within the Oval Workplace on April 9, 2025. (Getty Photos)
“For the White Home, the need to be seen as having direct talks with the Islamic Republic is excessive,” he mentioned, pointing to the dearth of direct engagement between Washington and Tehran relationship again to his first time period and the regime’s deep disdain for the president, as witnessed in an obvious assassination attempt.
Whereas the Iranian government has lengthy held contempt for the U.S., a sentiment that has continued for many years, Trump is “very completely different,” Ben Taleblu mentioned.
The safety knowledgeable highlighted the 2020 assassination of prime Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the crippling impact of the U.S.-sanctioned maximum-pressure marketing campaign and Trump’s open assist for the Iranian individuals as the key points which have rankled the Iranian regime.
“Trump is a really bitter capsule to swallow, and I believe the supreme chief of Iran as soon as mentioned that the shoe of Qasem Soleimani has extra honor than the top of Trump,” Ben Taleblu mentioned. “Being seen as straight negotiating with somebody [like that] could be making the Islamic Republic seem like a supplicant.
“The U.S. desires to be seen as having pushed Iran to the negotiating desk, and the Islamic Republic doesn’t need to be seen as being pushed to the negotiating desk,” he added.
Iranian Quds Drive commander Qassem Soleimani is proven in 2016. (Press Workplace of Iranian Supreme Chief/Anadolu Company/Getty Photos)
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Tehran’s chief benefit is the truth that, regardless of extreme U.S. sanctions and geopolitical makes an attempt to halt its improvement of a nuclear weapon, it has made critical beneficial properties in its enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade high quality, in addition to with its missile program, a essential part in with the ability to really hearth a nuclear warhead.
It additionally has drastically nearer ties with chief U.S. adversarial superpowers like Russia and China, whose place and involvement in countering Western makes an attempt to disarm a nuclear Iran stays an unknown at this level.
Whereas Iran holds vital leverage in the case of negotiating with the Trump administration on its nuclear program, Washington has a plethora of levers it may possibly use to both incentivize or coerce Tehran into adhering to worldwide requires the tip of its nuclear program.
“The U.S. really has a heck of quite a lot of leverage right here,” Ben Taleblu mentioned, pointing to not solely extra financial sanctions, together with “snapback” mechanisms below the United Nations Safety Council, but additionally army choices.
Trump final month threatened to “bomb” Iran if it didn’t have interaction in nuclear talks with the U.S.
However some have questioned how lengthy the administration will permit negotiations to persist as JCPOA-era snapback sanctions expire in October 2025.
The White Home wouldn’t affirm for Fox Information Digital any time restrictions it has issued to Iran, however Trump on Wednesday informed reporters, “We’ve just a little time, however we don’t have a lot time.”
The Basis for Protection of Democracies analyzed the place Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is positioned. (Basis for Protection of Democracies)
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“The regime has its again towards the wall,” Ben Taleblu mentioned. “A army possibility, given what has been occurring within the Center East since Oct. 7, 2023, is an more and more credible possibility towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“And the regime is partaking, now, to delay and stop a army possibility from ever materializing,” he added. “They’re hoping to make use of talks with the People as a human protect towards the Israelis.”
“As long as you are speaking to America, the Israelis aren’t capturing at you,” Ben Taleblu continued.
Trump this week mentioned that it will be Israel who would take the lead on a army strike on Iran, not the U.S., ought to nuclear talks fail, which once more may very well be a negotiating tactic as Israel has already demonstrated it won’t hesitate to militarily engage with Iran.
“Pursuing wholesale disarmament of the Islamic Republic of Iran is extremely dangerous, and it does not have an awesome observe file of succeeding,” Ben Taleblu mentioned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to President Donald Trump throughout a gathering within the Oval Workplace on April 7, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos)
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The Iranian knowledgeable mentioned the one strategy to really tackle the Islamic Republic could be by a “broader” and “extra holistic” technique that focuses not solely on nuclear nonproliferation however eradicating the “Axis of Resistance,” scaling up sanctions and having a “floor sport” to counter the regime by cyber, political and telecommunication methods “for when Iranians exit into the road and protest once more.”
“What the Islamic Republic would all the time need is to have you ever give attention to the hearth and never on the arsonist, and the arsonist is kind of actually a regime that has tried to kill this president,” Ben Taleblu mentioned.
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