Trump administration demands substance from Iran as talks continue

U.S. officials expect the Iranians to come prepared to offer concessions on the nuclear issue and additional matters.

By World Israel News Staff

After the first round of U.S.–Iran negotiations held Friday in Oman, the Trump administration has conveyed to Tehran that it expects the Iranian delegation to arrive at the next meeting “with meaningful substance,” two sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The Iranian team is led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to the sources, U.S. officials expect the Iranians to come prepared to offer concessions on the nuclear issue and additional matters discussed in the talks.

Araghchi struck a measured tone immediately after Friday’s discussions, describing them as an initial step whose continuation depends on internal consultations.

“Overall, it was a good start, but the continuation depends on consultations in the capitals,” he said, stressing that the talks addressed only Iran’s nuclear program and that dialogue could continue only in the absence of U.S. threats.

Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, who hosted the talks, described them as “very serious” and said they were useful in clarifying both Iranian and American positions. “We aim to reconvene in due course, with the results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington,” he said.

By Sunday, however, Araghchi publicly reiterated Iran’s red lines. He said ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional activities “are not on the agenda of the negotiations” and never have been. “The discussion is about the nuclear issue, and that is how it will continue,” he said.

Araghchi also ruled out any compromise on uranium enrichment, framing it as a matter of sovereignty rather than policy. “Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior,” he said at a forum.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump offered a more optimistic assessment, calling the talks “very good” and saying Iran “wants to make a deal,” while warning of serious consequences if negotiations fail.

“They know the consequences if they don’t,” Trump said. “If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep.” At the same time, he said the United States is “in no rush,” adding that another meeting is expected early next week.

In Israel, the talks are being followed closely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to depart Israel on Tuesday morning, arrive in Washington that evening and meet with Trump at the White House on Wednesday morning local time before returning to Israel by Friday morning.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu will stress that any agreement with Iran must address not only Tehran’s nuclear ambitions but also its ballistic missile program and its support for Iran-backed proxy forces across the region.

Israel is reportedly concerned that the U.S. negotiating posture may be drifting from understandings reached ahead of the talks.