Trump says US and Iran set for direct nuclear talks, but Tehran pushes back

8/4/2025 7:08

President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement on Monday that the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct talks on Tehran's nuclear program, but a senior Iranian official said any negotiations would be indirect with Oman acting as intermediary.



In a further sign of the difficult path ahead to any deal between the two geopolitical foes, Trump issued a stark warning that if the talks are unsuccessful, "Iran is going to be in great danger."



Iran had pushed back against Trump's demands in recent weeks that it directly negotiate over its nuclear program or be bombed, and it appeared to be sticking to that position on Monday, saying it agreed only to mediated talks, likely to be held in Oman.