Washington appeared to ramp up pressure on Tehran as its leading negotiators visited the US aircraft carrier that heads a powerful strike force off the waters of Iran, even as indirect nuclear talks between the adversaries proceeded.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- President Donald Trump’s son-in-law -- visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on February 7, joined by Admiral Brad Cooper, chief of the US military's Central Command.
“Today [we] met with the brave sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, her strike group, and Carrier Air Wing 9 who are keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength,” Witkoff said on social media.
The carrier, based in San Diego, California, in November departed for deployment in the Indo-Pacific region before arriving in the Middle East in January, the military said.
'Very Good' Talks In Oman
The carrier visit comes after delegations from Tehran and Washington held talks mediated by Oman on February 6, discussions Trump labeled as “very good.”
While neither side announced concrete outcomes, both suggested negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program could continue in the near term.
“Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly. We have to see what that deal is,” Trump told reporters.
Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that "the fact that the talks didn't fail and the two sides did not leave the negotiating table shows that maybe they felt enough common ground or that both sides put some concessions on the table that were attractive enough for both sides to continue the talks."
Still, the talks took place amid an American military buildup in the Middle East. Tensions have been heightened by weeks of unrest in Iran, during which authorities launched a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands of civilians.
Trump Warns Iranian Authorities
As reports of the carnage trickled out of Iran, Trump threatened to strike Iran if any of the tens of thousands of protesters arrested were executed.
The US president has continued to keep military options on the table, while also emphasizing efforts to rein in Iran’s nuclear program, which Western powers fear is aimed at producing a bomb despite Tehran’s insistence it is for civilian purposes.
Following the Oman talks, the US State Department announced new sanctions on Iran's oil exports, targeting 15 entities and 14 shadow fleet vessels.
After the talks in Oman, Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran and Washington both believe nuclear talks should resume soon, even as Tehran ruled out discussions on its missile program and uranium enrichment.
Abbas Araqchi told Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television on February 7 that both sides agreed the discussions should resume soon, adding that there was no agreed timeline for the next meeting.
"We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment," he said.
"The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations."
Netanyahu To Meet Trump
Elsewhere on the diplomatic front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he will meet with Trump in Washington on February 11 to discuss "negotiations with Iran."
Netanyahu has consistently urged Trump and previous US presidents to take a hard line with bitter rival Iran.
Netanyahu last month said Israel would hit back if attacked by Tehran with a "force Iran has never seen."
The United States bombed Tehran’s key underground enrichment sites in Fordow and Natanz during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
