Senior American and Iranian officials held talks through intermediaries in Oman this past week, the first such conversations since Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones last month, according to a person familiar with the recent meetings.
Brett McGurk, the top White House official on Middle East policy, and Abram Paley, the deputy special envoy for Iran, attended the talks in Oman.
Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, several Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have stepped up attacks on American troops, raising fears of a wider war.
However, U.S. intelligence officials assess that neither Hezbollah nor Iran wants to engage in a wider war.
The format of the talks in Oman was similar to ones held in January: The Americans sat in one room while their Iranian counterparts sat in another, and Omani officials shuttled between the rooms.
Persons:
Brett McGurk, Abram Paley, Axios
Organizations:
White, Hamas, United
Locations:
Oman, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, United States