US and Iran set for nuclear deal negotiations on April 12 — Rubio

Washington will be represented by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Iran will delegate a senior official.

"We hope that'll lead to peace. We've been very clear what Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon, and I think that's what led to this meeting," Rubio said at a Cabinet meeting.

The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s April 7 statement that both nations were poised for direct talks, warning Tehran of “great danger” should they fail—a claim muddied by Iran’s assertion that Oman will mediate an indirect dialogue. An informed U.S. official clarified both delegations will share the same room, suggesting a hybrid format.

Trump’s push for a new nuclear deal with Iran

In 2018, during his first term in office, Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran — citing what he claimed was evidence Tehran was developing nuclear weapons.

On Jan. 13, 2025, The Times, citing Western intelligence sources, reported that Iran was holding secret diplomatic talks with Russia aimed at deepening military cooperation and gaining support for its nuclear ambitions.

On March 7, President Trump said he had written a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei offering a new nuclear deal.

“I think they want to get that letter,” Trump said. “The alternative is that we’ll have to do something because we can’t allow more nuclear weapons to appear.”

On March 13, Khamenei publicly rejected the offer of talks with the United States on the nuclear issue.

On March 23, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with the U.S. on a new deal would be impossible unless Washington changes its pressure tactics.

On March 30, Trump said that if Iran refuses to sign a new nuclear deal, it will face bombing “like they’ve never seen before.”

On April 2, Reuters reported that Iran filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council over what it described as Trump’s “unreasonable and belligerent” statements.

Tehran called the U.S. president’s words “a flagrant violation of international law” and of the United Nations Charter.

On the same day, Axios, citing its own sources among American officials, reported that Donald Trump is seriously considering the Iranian authorities' proposal to hold indirect nuclear talks.