Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-talks-oman-nuclear-program-5813e0814efcd99616428086de6ba0be
Middle East geopolitics are soon to be discussed in Muscat, a quit coastal city. Muscat is the capital of Oman, nestled between the heights of the Hajar Mountains. Iran and the U.S. will meet for talks regarding Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. This is the first time the two countries are meeting for these talks since Donald Trump started his second term as president. There’s no deal expected right away, but the situation is tense — Trump has threatened airstrikes if Iran doesn’t agree to a deal, and Iran has warned Trump that the use of an airstrike on Iran would force Iran to pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Oman is playing a key role as the quiet middleman. It’s a small country with a unique culture and religion (Ibadi Islam) and is located in a very strategic spot near the Strait of Hormuz, where a lot of the world’s oil travels. Oman is a former empire whose seafaring rule once stretched all the way down to the island of Zanzibar in Africa. Unlike some of its neighbors who do diplomacy publicly, Oman keeps things low-key and private, which has earned it a reputation for being great at “quiet diplomacy.” This title of “quiet diplomacy” has been tested in recent years s Oman maintains diplomatic ties to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. America has relied on Oman for years to negotiate with Iran, including secret talks under President Barack Obama which led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Experts say Oman is proud of this role, and even though it’s a small country without a lot of oil money, it has a long history of being a strong, peaceful negotiator. The country is now led by Sultan Haitham, who took over in 2020, and he’s continuing Oman’s tradition of helping solve big international problems behind the scenes.