Despite Soaring Tensions, Trump Admin Set To Have Sixth Round Of Iran Nuclear Talks

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is still planning on meeting with Iranian officials for the sixth round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Oman despite some U.S. personnel moving out of the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran.

“Senior Advisor and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plans to travel to Muscat on Sunday for a sixth round of talks with Iran,” a source familiar with the talks told The Daily Wire. “Discussions are expected to be both direct and indirect, as in previous rounds.”

The news comes as all United States embassies within striking distance of Iran were instructed to convene emergency action committees and to develop measures to mitigate risks, The Washington Post reported.

The U.S. is also reducing its personnel at its Iraq missions in Baghdad and Erbil and reportedly permitting non-essential personnel and dependents to leave other countries in the region, such as Bahrain and Kuwait.

President Trump confirmed that some U.S. personnel are moving out of the Middle East on Wednesday night.

“Well they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we’ll see what happens, but they are— we’ve given notice to move out,” Trump said.

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The personnel reduction comes after Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to strike American bases if nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises.

“All U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said during a press briefing.

A State Department official confirmed to The Daily Wire that it is reducing its “footprint” at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

“President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad,” the official said. “In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.”

According to Axios, Israeli officials told the outlet that the IDF has been on “extremely high alert in recent days” due to possible escalation with Iran.

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While previous rounds of talks have been described as productive by U.S. officials, Trump told the New York Post this week that he is getting “less confident” about getting Iran to make an acceptable deal.

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,” he said. “Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday morning said an agreement could “ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program,” which relies on the “continuation of Iran’s enrichment program, under the full supervision of the IAEA and the effective termination of sanctions.”

The issue over Iran enriching its own uranium has become the top contention point in negotiations, with the Trump administration believing that any enrichment capabilities enable the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon.

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For the first time in 20 years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), took the stance that Iran had breached its non-proliferation obligations. The resolution declaring Iran in violation was submitted by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, and passed with support from 19 countries. Eleven nations abstained, while only Russia, China, and Burkina Faso voted against it, according to Reuters.

A February report from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran’s uranium stockpile is enriched to 60 percent purity — close to the 90 percent level considered weapon-grade. The total enriched uranium stockpile now stands at approximately 8,294 kilograms, vastly exceeding the deal’s cap of 300 kilograms.

Iran can currently produce enough weapons-grade fissile material to make a nuclear weapon in a week or two, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed in July 2024, adding that Iran had not yet produced a weapon to utilize the material.

Trump has expressed his preference to resolve Iran’s nuclear challenges with diplomacy, but has threatened military force if a deal cannot be made.

In March, during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Iran can be handled militarily or through negotiating a deal.

“I would rather negotiate a deal,” he added. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”

Trump withdrew President Barack Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, calling it “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”