Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced on Friday, February 6 that his country and the United States agreed to the continuation of talks after the new round of negotiations concluded earlier in the day in the Omani capital Muscat.

“Several rounds of meetings were held today, our points of view and concerns were conveyed and the issues were discussed in a very good atmosphere. Overall, it was a good start,” Araghchi stated on Iranian national TV.

The Iranian senior official added that “the time, place and manner” of the next rounds will be decided after the delegations do the necessary consultations with their capitals.

He also emphasizes that the discussions during Friday’s meetings were “strictly confined to Iran’s nuclear file”.

It is worth noting that the Iranian delegation involved in the talks is led by Araghchi. Meanwhile, the US delegation, which includes the head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, is led by US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.

The first round of the fresh negotiations came after weeks of escalating tensions that followed repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to launch yet another onslaught against the Islamic Republic, as his administration failed to change the Iranian regime by reportedly egging on violence in the recent wave of protests.

They also took place eight months after the US and Israel had jointly launched an unprovoked aggression against Iran to eliminate the country’s nuclear capabilities. The US-Israeli attacks took place after Tehran’s engagement in five rounds of talks on its nuclear program with Washington.

While US military escalation against Iran seemed imminent last week, now analysts speculate that the Trump administration will yield to negotiations this time due to overwhelming geopolitical and economic considerations.

On the one hand, US allies in West Asia have urged both countries to contain the situation and avoid pushing the region into a new conflict.

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On the other hand, the US may be economically capable of starting a new war against Iran, but its ability to withstand the financial burdens of a potential sustained warfare is not guaranteed amid continued downturn in dollar value against other currencies.

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