"Iran's supreme leader, the ayatollah, is famously reluctant to have his negotiators in the same room with American negotiators ever since President Trump in his first term pulled out of the nuclear deal. So the ayatollah thinks, these Americans, we just can't trust them. Let's work through our brothers in Oman. It's a silly way to do business, Steve, because you've got the Iranian delegation in one room."
"Right down the hall, you have the American delegation. And this happened during our administration as well, and it's happened with Steve Witkoff and the Iranian foreign minister before. It's inefficient. Things can get lost in translation. And my hope would be, and I think the Americans' expectation would be they will get in the same room at some point today."
Iran's supreme leader refuses face-to-face meetings with American negotiators because of distrust that arose after President Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal. Negotiations therefore proceed indirectly through Omani intermediaries, with Iranian and American delegations housed in separate rooms and messages relayed between them. This arrangement is inefficient and risks mistranslation and loss of nuance. Similar indirect procedures occurred during the previous U.S. administration. The indirect approach reflects political constraints in Iran rather than negotiation style preferences. Direct, in-person meetings between senior negotiators are expected or hoped for to improve clarity and manage the sensitive issues under the looming threat of military force.
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