A senior US administration official revealed that there is dissatisfaction within Washington with the Sultanate of Oman’s performance during negotiations with Iran, accusing Muscat of “duplicity” and pointing to the decline of its traditional role in mediation between the two sides.
CNN quoted the official, whose identity was not revealed, as saying that the US administration was not satisfied with the role played by the Omanis during the negotiations, considering that they acted in a way that seemed closer to serving the Iranian position, which led to their effective exclusion from some aspects of the negotiating process.
The Sultanate of Oman is known for its mediating role between the United States and Iran, as it hosted several rounds of indirect talks between the two parties over the past years, including the negotiations that led to the nuclear agreement in 2015 during the era of former US President Barack Obama.
There has been no official comment yet from the Sultanate of Oman or Iran on these statements.
This comes at a time when US-Iranian relations are witnessing a new phase after the announcement of understanding between the two sides, amid continuing discussion about the mechanisms for implementing the agreement and its guarantors.
In a related context, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced that the second round of negotiations with the United States would be held in the Sultanate of Oman, despite recent American statements regarding its role in the negotiating process.
