United States President Donald Trump held a high-level national security meeting in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, officials confirmed.
The meeting came ahead of a second round of talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled for Saturday in Oman. US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet his Iranian counterpart in Muscat, with Oman playing a key mediation role. Trump also spoke by phone with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to discuss Muscat’s facilitation of dialogue between the two countries.
According to a White House official, the Situation Room was chosen for its secure setting, where Trump frequently receives intelligence briefings. Discussions reportedly focused on the framework for a potential nuclear agreement, with Trump reiterating that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump remains committed to negotiations but underscored his readiness to take military action if necessary. “The maximum pressure campaign on Iran continues,” she said. “The president has made it clear he wants to see dialogue and discussion with Iran, while making his directive about Iran never being able to obtain a nuclear weapon quite clear.”
Leavitt also confirmed that Trump and the Omani ruler reviewed ongoing U.S. military operations against Yemen’s Houthis.
Both Washington and Tehran described the initial round of talks held last weekend in Oman as constructive. The renewed diplomacy comes amid heightened tensions and after Trump reinstated sweeping sanctions on Iran in February, reactivating the “maximum pressure” policy that followed his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.
Since then, Iran’s nuclear advancements have accelerated. While indirect negotiations took place during President Joe Biden’s tenure, they failed to yield significant progress. Iranian leaders continue to assert that dismantling their peaceful nuclear infrastructure or missile capabilities is non-negotiable.
