1. Home
2. Middle East
3. Secretary of Iran's Top Security Body Says to Visit Oman Tuesday

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s top security body and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, will visit Oman on Tuesday, Iranian media reported, following renewed indirect talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Larijani will head a delegation that “will meet with senior officials of the Sultanate of Oman and discuss the latest regional and international developments, as well as bilateral cooperation at various levels,” according to a statement published on his official Telegram account and carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iran still holds “deep distrust” for the U.S.

Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday that Iran still holds "deep distrust" for the U.S. despite agreeing to return to talks on its disputed nuclear programme.  "We are looking for serious negotiations to achieve a result, provided the other side shows the same seriousness and is also ready for constructive negotiations," the minister said.

"Unfortunately, a deep mistrust persists due to the behaviour of the United States in recent years," he said, addressing ambassadors at a diplomatic gathering in Tehran. Iran is serious about negotiations and is seeking genuine talks to reach results, provided the other side demonstrates the same level of seriousness, he added.

Meanwhile, Iran’s president said that peaceful protests are a legitimate right, but acts of vandalism are unacceptable, adding that people took to the streets after the destruction to denounce rioting and express support for the state.

Khamenei calls for “resolve” against foreign pressure 

In a televised address on Monday, Khamenei urged Iranians to participate in upcoming anniversary marches marking the 47th year of the Islamic Revolution. He called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week.

“The presence of the people in the march and their expression of loyalty to the Islamic Republic will cause the enemy to stop coveting Iran,” Khamenei said.

Since the revolution, "foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation", Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the U.S.

"National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: "Show it again and frustrate the enemy."

Fragile diplomacy after military escalation

The renewed contacts follow five rounds of negotiations held last year aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear activities, which ultimately collapsed over disagreements on uranium enrichment inside Iran.

In June, U.S. warplanes struck Iranian nuclear sites at the end of an Israeli bombing campaign, marking one of the most serious direct confrontations between Iran and its adversaries in years.

Tehran later said it had halted enrichment activities, a claim viewed with skepticism in Washington, which considers enrichment a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.

The U.S. has also sought to expand the scope of negotiations to include Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, a demand Tehran has firmly rejected.

Larijani, a veteran political heavyweight, has held several influential posts under Khamenei over the past decades, including speaker of parliament and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator during earlier talks with world powers. His involvement underscores the sensitivity of the current diplomatic push.

As Larijani prepares for talks in Oman, both Tehran and Washington face mounting pressure to prevent further escalation while testing whether diplomacy can still offer a way out of a standoff shaped by mutual mistrust.