Omani Foreign Minister to Meet Vance in Bid to Stave Off War With Iran

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi is set to meet with Vice President JD Vance and senior U.S. officials in Washington on Friday for a previously undisclosed round of discussions aimed at preventing a military confrontation with Iran, MS Now reported Thursday night.

The meeting follows a session in Geneva on Thursday between Al Busaidi and special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Al Busaidi has recently played a key mediating role in indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, facilitating the exchange of communications between the two governments.

The talks coincide with Trump’s increasingly forceful warnings toward Iran, including threats of military action if diplomacy breaks down. The president’s decision not to seek congressional approval for potential strikes has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, amid concerns that his administration is steering the country toward open conflict.

Vance pushed back on those concerns Thursday evening in an interview with The Washington Post, insisting that the United States was not headed for a prolonged conflict with Iran. “The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight; there is no chance that will happen,” he said while speaking aboard Air Force Two, despite growing alarm from Pentagon leaders and lawmakers who warn that extended operations could compromise U.S. military preparedness.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Thursday night after the conclusion of talks in Geneva that “further progress” had been achieved in what he described as the most demanding round of negotiations yet. He added that discussions would continue in a “more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal – including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps.”

Al Busaidi echoed this assessment, noting that the two sides had made “significant progress,” even as the U.S. continues to amass military forces within striking distance of Iran.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his preference for a diplomatic resolution. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” he said. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”