Washington appeared to be ramping up pressure on Tehran as top negotiators visited a US aircraft carrier leading a powerful force near Iranian waters, even as indirect nuclear talks between the adversaries continued.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — President Donald Trump's son-in-law — visited the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on February 7, along with Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US military's Central Command.
"Today we met with the brave sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, its strike group, and Carrier Air Wing 9, who are keeping us safe and implementing President Trump's message of peace through strength," Witkoff said on social media.
The aircraft carrier, based in San Diego, California, departed in November for deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, before arriving in the Middle East in January, the military said.
"Very good" talks in Oman
The visit to the aircraft carrier comes after delegations from Tehran and Washington held Oman-mediated talks on February 6, discussions that Trump described as "very good."
While neither side announced concrete results, both suggested that negotiations on Iran's nuclear program could continue in the near term.
"Iran seems to really want to make a deal. We'll have to see what kind of deal it is," Trump told reporters.
Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, told REL's Radio Farda that "the fact that the talks did not fail and that both sides did not walk away from the negotiating table indicates that perhaps they found enough common ground or that both sides put some concessions on the table that were attractive enough to continue the talks."
However, the talks took place amid a US 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 massacre began to emerge from Iran, Trump threatened to strike Iran if any of the tens of thousands of arrested protesters were executed.
The US president has continued to keep military options on the table, while at the same time emphasizing efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, which Western powers fear is aimed at producing a bomb, despite Tehran's insistence that it is for civilian purposes.
Following talks in Oman, the US State Department announced new sanctions on Iran's oil exports, targeting 15 entities and 14 ships of the so-called shadow fleet.
After talks in Oman, Iran's foreign minister said Tehran and Washington believe nuclear talks should resume soon, although 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 that discussions should resume soon, adding that there is no agreed deadline for the next meeting.
"We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment," he said.
"The Iranian nuclear issue will only be resolved through negotiations."
Netanyahu to meet with Trump
On another 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 repeatedly urged Trump and previous US presidents to take a tough line against arch-rival Iran.
Last month, Netanyahu said Israel would respond if attacked by Tehran with a "force that Iran has never seen."
The United States bombed Iran's key underground enrichment facilities at Fordow and Natanz during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. /REL
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