Omani mediator outlines framework for curbing Iran’s nuclear program

Negotiators from the United States and Iran have made “substantial progress” toward an agreement aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, Oman’s foreign minister said, as President Donald Trump weighs the possibility of military strikes against Iran.

In an interview with CBS News on February 27, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi — who has mediated several rounds of indirect US-Iran negotiations over the past month — told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan that a “peace deal is within our reach.”

Albusaidi said Iran has agreed that it will “never, ever have … nuclear material that will create a bomb,” describing this as a “big achievement.” According to him, Iran’s existing stockpiles of enriched uranium would be “blended to the lowest level possible” and “converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible.”

He added that Tehran is prepared to grant inspectors from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency full access to its nuclear facilities in order to verify compliance with the agreement.

“There would be zero accumulation, zero stockpiling, and full verification,” Albusaidi said. He added that if a fair and durable agreement is reached, he is “quite confident” that American inspectors could eventually gain access as part of the verification process.

Asked whether sufficient progress had been achieved to prevent potential US strikes on Iran, Albusaidi replied: “I hope so,” while noting that “we need a little bit more time” to finalise remaining details. Technical-level talks are scheduled to take place on March 2 in Vienna, and Albusaidi said he hopes to meet US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a few days afterwards.

Trump, however, struck a more sceptical tone earlier, telling reporters he is “not happy” with the pace of negotiations and has not yet decided whether to authorise strikes.

“I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have,” he said. “I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens. We're talking later.”

Speaking later on February 27 during an event in Texas, Trump reiterated that he wants Iran to completely halt uranium enrichment.

“They want to enrich a little bit. You don't have to enrich when you have that much oil,” the president said. “I say, no enrichment.”

By Tamilla Hasanova