Just days after U.S.-Iran nuclear talks appeared dead, they are suddenly back on, revived by intense lobbying from America’s Arab partners. At least nine Middle Eastern governments pressed the White House to keep diplomacy alive, worried President Trump might otherwise pivot toward military action. The result is a narrow, carefully constrained meeting set for Friday in Oman, held at Iran’s request and limited strictly to nuclear issues.
That scope matters. Missiles, proxies, and regional behavior are all off the table, which tells you how little confidence Washington has that a broader deal is even possible. U.S. officials are being candid in private that skepticism remains high and that this agreement to talk was driven more by alliance management than optimism. The fact that envoy Steve Witkoff coordinated closely with Israeli officials ahead of the meeting underscores how fragile trust still is. This is diplomacy as pressure release, not diplomacy as breakthrough.
