Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi is scheduled to meet US Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials in Washington on Friday as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a potential escalation with Iran, Reuters report.
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US President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear programme, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests.
Mediated by Oman, these talks represented a critical attempt to de-escalate tensions following a massive US military buildup in the Middle East and a renewed “maximum pressure” campaign by the Trump administration.
Latest developments: What you need to know
Geneva summit: Indirect talks were held at the Omani diplomatic residence. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi shuttled between the delegations, led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
‘Peaceful’ stance from Tehran: President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated today that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, citing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s long-standing religious decree (fatwa) against weapons of mass destruction.
The US ‘military tool’: Vice President JD Vance warned that while diplomacy is the preference, the US reserves the “right” to use military action, stating, “You can’t let the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons.”
New economic squeeze: Just yesterday, the US Treasury blacklisted over 30 entities and “shadow fleet” vessels to curb Iran’s missile program and illicit oil sales.
IAEA presence: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has joined the talks as a technical observer, a move experts say could be decisive in verifying Iranian commitments.
Our Global Desk is verifying reports of maritime movement in the Strait of Hormuz and monitoring live statements from US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva. Stay tuned for real-time alerts, satellite imagery analysis, and diplomatic breakthroughs.
Live Updates
Feb 27, 2026 07:58 AM IST
Iran-US Tensions News Live Updates: US lawmaker says Iran deal unlikely, calls for strong action
Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said on Thursday he does not trust Iran and believes a nuclear deal is unlikely, warning that extraordinary measures may be needed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I don’t trust that regime, because every time that we make a deal with them, they’re always somehow breaking it,” Gimenez told Fox News. “They get some kind of monetary reward. It breathes new life into the regime, and they just keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing all along. They want to attain a nuclear weapon.”
Feb 27, 2026 06:05 AM IST
Iran-US Tensions News Live Updates: US lawmaker says Iran deal unlikely, calls for strong action
Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said on Thursday he does not trust Iran and believes a nuclear deal is unlikely, warning that extraordinary measures may be needed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I don’t trust that regime, because every time that we make a deal with them, they’re always somehow breaking it,” Gimenez told Fox News. “They get some kind of monetary reward. It breathes new life into the regime, and they just keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing all along. They want to attain a nuclear weapon.”
Asked what action the United States should take in the meantime, Gimenez outlined a series of military steps.
“I would replicate that same thing that the Israelis did when they took out a bunch of their nuclear scientists in their own home, and decapitate the head of the snake — and that is the regime itself,” he said. “But I’m not the president of the United States.”
