Muscat, Oman - Iran and the US began talks in Oman on Friday as the world braced for yet another military aggression ordered by President Donald Trump.
With a threatening military build-up in the region, Iran has insisted the talks will be centered solely on its nuclear program, although the US wants demands Tehran end its backing for allied groups and give up its ballistic missiles.
These are the first talks since the US joined Israel's unprovoked war on Iran in June.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will speak to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Media in Iran described the talks as indirect and there was as yet no indication of the Iranian and American officials meeting directly.
Images published by the Oman foreign ministry showed both sides meeting separately with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi.
"The deliberations centred upon establishing the requisite foundations for the resumption of both diplomatic and technical negotiations," said the Oman foreign ministry, describing the talks as "pivotal".
Araghchi said as the talks began that Tehran maintains "full readiness to defend the country's sovereignty and national security against any excessive demands or adventurism" by the US.
"Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year. We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights," he added on X.
US makes maximalist demands of Iran
According to Iran's state television, the Iranian delegation first handed over its message to Oman's foreign minister which was then passed on to the US.
A second such round of talks was now underway, it added.
The White House has made clear it wants the talks to rein in Tehran's ability to make a nuclear bomb, an ambition the Islamic republic has always denied having.
The US delegation intends to explore "zero nuclear capacity" for Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, warning that Trump had "many options at his disposal aside from diplomacy."
"They're negotiating," Trump said of Iran on Thursday.
"They don't want us to hit them, we have a big fleet going there," he added, referring to the aircraft carrier group he has repeatedly called an "armada."