US reportedly unhappy with Oman’s mediation role in Iran talks

The United States was “very unhappy” with Oman’s role as a mediator in negotiations with Iran and has stopped using Muscat’s services in the process, according to a senior US official.

As reported by TASS, the official made the remarks on June 15 during a phone briefing with journalists, commenting on an electronically signed memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending hostilities.

“We were very unhappy with the job the Omanis did. We felt they were very duplicitous and almost like employees of the Iranians in the way that they maneuvered, so we kind of threw them out of this process,” the US official said.

Earlier, officials from the United States, Iran, and Pakistan — which has been acting as a mediator — confirmed that an agreement had been reached between Washington and Tehran intended to end the war in the Middle East. A formal signing ceremony is expected to take place in Geneva on June 19.

According to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, the planned 60-day ceasefire would include discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme. The deal reportedly also provides for the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran and an immediate cessation of military operations across all fronts, including Lebanon. The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

By Vugar Khalilov