US-Iran Talks In Muscat On June 15 Amid Heightened West Asia Tensions
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The developments come amid heightened tensions with Israel
The United States will hold talks with Iran in Muscat on June 15, Oman's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi confirmed on Thursday. The developments come amid heightened tensions in West Asia.
'I am pleased to confirm the 6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday," Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.
Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The announcement by Oman came just hours after President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved from the potentially 'dangerous" Middle East.
Israel Planning To Strike Iran: US
US intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The intel input has prompted the US to move its personnel out of the region because 'it could be a dangerous place".
The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Reuters reported earlier that the US was preparing an evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and would allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to US and Iraqi sources.
A US official said the State Department had authorised voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest U.S. posture.
'On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions," the advisory said.
'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters. 'We've given notice to move out."
Asked whether anything could be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump said: 'They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon."
Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released earlier on Wednesday said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand.
On Wednesday, Iran's defence minister warned Washington that Tehran would hit U.S. regional bases if drawn into a war in the case of nuclear talks failing.
On Wednesday Britain's maritime agency warned that increased tensions in the Middle East might lead to an escalation in military activity that could impact shipping in critical waterways. It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran.
Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking U.S. troops, though attacks have subsided since last year.
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