Iran says there were no plans to hold talks with US outside Oman

IRNA – Islamic Republic News Agency

Feb 10, 2026

Tehran, IRNA — Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has dismissed reports claiming that the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington were to be held in a country other than Oman, stressing that Muscat was always the agreed venue.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Baqaei said Iran appreciated the goodwill and diplomatic efforts of regional and neighboring countries, including Turkiye, that had expressed readiness to help ease tensions and support diplomacy.

“We thank the goodwill and good offices of all regional countries and neighbors,” he said, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had held contacts with his counterparts in regional states, the Persian Gulf states, Pakistan, and others that had shown concern for regional peace and security.

Baqaei noted that these efforts had taken place “at the highest levels,” including contacts with Iran’s president and foreign minister, aimed at reducing tensions and paving the way for a diplomatic process.

He emphasized, however, that “the reality is that there was no arrangement to hold this meeting anywhere other than Oman.”

While several regional countries had expressed readiness to host the talks, he said Iran ultimately opted for Muscat for multiple reasons.

“Given that we are a party to the negotiations, our positive experience with Oman’s hosting, our approach that the focus of the negotiations has been and remains on the nuclear issue, and for other reasons, it was decided that the venue of the talks would be Muscat,” Baqaei said.

He added pointedly that Muscat was “the same place where the US itself dismantled the negotiating table last June.”

‘Iran determined to safeguard interests through diplomacy’

Baqaei also underlined Tehran’s determination to safeguard Iran’s national interests through diplomacy, while warning against external pressures on Washington’s decision-making.

He said it was up to US officials to act independently and not allow pressure groups and lobbies to dictate US foreign policy.

“As far as we are concerned, we carefully take previous experiences into account. The experience [of last June] was a very bad one; and based on these experiences, we are determined to secure Iran’s national interests through diplomacy,” the spokesman said.

Larijani’s visits in line with neighborliness policy: Baqaei

Commenting on Ali Larijani’s visit to Muscat and Doha, Baqaei said the trips are in line with Iran’s principled policy of strengthening relations and cooperation with neighboring and regional countries.

He noted that the visit followed earlier regional trips by the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, including to Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, and should be seen as part of ongoing consultations with regional counterparts.

“Good neighborliness and strengthening regional cooperation are among the main pillars of our foreign policy,” he said, adding that both the Oman visit and the subsequent trip to Qatar had been planned in advance.

Iran warns of ‘regret-inducing’ response to any aggression

Responding to questions about Israeli threats and their potential impact on diplomacy, Baqaei stressed that any military aggression against Iran would fundamentally alter the situation.

“If the Islamic Republic of Iran is subjected to military aggression from any side, it will certainly deliver a crushing response,” he said, adding that any Israeli action would not be possible without US coordination, and that Iran’s response in such a scenario would be “regret-inducing.”

Baqaei also said talks during the defense minister’s visit to Azerbaijan covered a wide range of security and defense issues of mutual interest, expressing hope that the trip would help strengthen trust between the two countries, particularly in political and security fields.

On Gaza and Lebanon, he said France and the US, as guarantors of ceasefires, bore responsibility due to what he described as their indulgence toward Israel and complicity in ongoing crimes.

Europe made ‘very grave miscalculation’

Baqaei also criticized Europe’s recent approach, saying European countries had committed “a very grave miscalculation” by failing to play an independent and constructive role in diplomatic processes and instead choosing to follow others.

He said Europe’s latest move to label the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was both “illegal” and a “strategic mistake.”

Rather than persisting with media rhetoric, he went on, European states should think realistically about how to restore Europe’s role and standing in regional and international equations.

Tehran slams German chancellor’s hostile stance

Turning to Germany, the spokesman said the approach adopted by some German officials, particularly the country’s chancellor, in recent months was “neither worthy of the German nation nor befitting the traditional relations between Tehran and Berlin.”

He said the German chancellor had repeatedly positioned himself as an unconditional supporter of the Israeli regime, adding that statements made in connection with Israel’s military aggression against Iran “will never be erased from the memory of the Iranian nation.”

He warned that recent remarks were incorrect and would damage Germany’s credibility among Iranian public opinion and at regional and international levels.

‘There is common ground to continue talks with US’

Baqaei said a brief, minutes-long interaction between Iranian and US delegations had created a sense of understanding for continuing the diplomatic track.

“The outcome of these indirect interactions, including the short conversation you referred to, was that we felt there was understanding and common ground to continue this diplomatic process,” he said.

Addressing questions about the presence of a US general in the talks, Baqaei said Iran does not copy others’ approaches and trusts its diplomats.

However, he noted that Iran’s foreign minister “is himself, in a sense, a battle-hardened military general.”

Epstein case could be part of project to advance Israeli objectives

Commenting on the Jeffrey Epstein case, Baqaei described it as a humanitarian and civilizational catastrophe that should not be trivialized.

He argued that reports suggesting political exploitation of such cases had strengthened suspicions that the issue could be part of a long-term project to advance political objectives, particularly those of the Israeli regime.

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