The United States has warned Iran that the next round of nuclear talks must deliver concrete progress, signaling growing impatience in Washington as diplomatic efforts enter a more volatile phase.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the administration of President Donald Trump has told Tehran it expects the Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to arrive at the next meeting “with meaningful substance.”

The message followed high-level talks held Friday in Oman, where U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, senior adviser Jared Kushner, and U.S. Central Command commander Brad Cooper met with Araghchi and other Iranian officials.

Reports described the initial meeting as constructive but largely procedural, focused more on how negotiations would be conducted than on resolving core disputes. American officials now expect Tehran to return with tangible proposals, including potential concessions on uranium enrichment and related issues.

Those expectations were immediately tested on Sunday, when Araghchi publicly ruled out a full halt to Iran’s nuclear enrichment. He said future talks should focus on arrangements that allow enrichment to continue, accompanied by guarantees that the program remains peaceful. Araghchi also insisted that Iran’s missile program and its network of regional proxies were off the table.

“The subject of the negotiations is the nuclear issue, and that is how it will remain,” he said.
The remarks underscored the widening gap between Washington’s demands and Tehran’s public stance, raising doubts about whether the talks can move beyond preliminary discussions.

The diplomatic push is unfolding as Israeli leaders step up their own pressure campaign.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington on Tuesday for a meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

Ahead of the visit, Israel’s security cabinet convened Sunday to coordinate its position.
Israeli officials reiterated that any agreement with Iran must go beyond nuclear restrictions and include limits on ballistic missiles and an end to Tehran’s support for militant groups across the region.

Briefing materials distributed to ministers warned that Iran’s commitments could not be trusted and threatened severe consequences for any attacks on Israeli sovereignty.

At a separate meeting with Paraguay’s foreign minister, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles posed a danger not only to Israel, but to Europe and the wider international community.

“The Iranian regime has already used missiles against other countries in the Middle East,” he said, adding that their expanding range now threatens multiple continents.

Tehran, meanwhile, struck a defiant tone.
Iranian Army Commander Amir Hatami said Sunday that Iran’s military was closely monitoring its adversaries and was prepared to respond forcefully to any attack.

He dismissed the presence of U.S. naval forces in the region as routine and warned against miscalculation.

“We have seen this many times over the past decades,” Hatami said, adding that Iran’s air forces were ready to act if necessary.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)