- High-level negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials in Muscat focused on a new nuclear deal.
- The deal includes several new provisions, such as indefinite weapons inspections in Iran and access to financial records of companies linked to the IRGC.
- Iran is pushing for more sanctions relief and guarantees regarding Israel’s military presence in the region.
Washington’s core aim is to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and to prevent Israel from launching a massive attack on the country which could ignite a war across the Middle East. On the other side were the Iranian negotiators whose presence attested to the depth of their country’s economic malaise, leaving the government facing increased public discontent and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) unable effectively spread Iran’s version of Islam around the world. Tehran’s core aim is to avoid being gain sanctions relief to rebuild its economy and influence via the IRGC and its proxies, and to avoid a huge military assault by Israel, backed by the U.S.