Iran could pay a heavy price after refusing U.S. demands to halt uranium enrichment during nuclear talks Friday in Oman, as the Trump administration imposed additional sanctions on the Islamist regime.
The State Department announced it was sanctioning 15 Iranian entities, two individuals, and 14 shadow fleet vessels linked to the illicit trade in Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
"These targets have generated revenue that the regime uses to conduct its malign activities," the State Department said in a news release. "Instead of investing in the welfare of its own people and crumbling infrastructure, the Iranian regime continues to fund destabilizing activities around the world and step up its repression inside Iran.
"So long as [the] Iranian regime attempts to evade sanctions and generate oil and petrochemical revenues to fund such oppressive behavior and support terrorist activities and proxies, the United States will act to hold both the Iranian regime and its partners accountable."
The U.S. and Iran were originally scheduled to meet Friday in Istanbul, with other Middle Eastern countries expected to participate as observers. Iran said Tuesday it wanted the talks moved to Oman and limited to a strictly bilateral format.
The sides did not meet face-to-face and instead held alternating discussions through Omani intermediaries, The Wall Street Journal reported. Neither side moved significantly from its opening positions, people familiar with the discussions told the Journal.
The U.S. delegation included special envoy Steve Witkoff, White House adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command. The Iranian team included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, his deputies Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Kazem Gharibabadi, and Hamid Qanbari, according to Iran's Press TV.
Regional officials and many analysts had low expectations going into the talks. They cited Iran's unwillingness to end uranium enrichment and the U.S. insistence on addressing Tehran's ballistic missile program, support for terrorist proxies, and human rights violations tied to a violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
"Our talks are focused solely on the nuclear issue, and we are not engaging with the Americans on any other subject," Araghchi told Press TV.
Araghchi described the talks as "a good start" to continued negotiations. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to hold follow-up discussions, CNN reported, though a time and place have not been set.
Araghchi also demanded that Trump dial down military pressure, saying negotiations should "take place in a calm environment, free from tension and threats."
President Donald Trump has made repeated threats toward Iran over its nuclear ambitions, as well as the regime's violence against protesters. The U.S. has bolstered its military presence in the region with the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. During the talks, the U.S. underscored its military posture by flying fighter jets over the carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea, the New York Post reported.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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