US and Iran may hold nuclear talks in Oslo next week amid post-war tensions: Report

Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi - File Photo

In what could mark the first direct diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran since last month’s US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Washington is reportedly planning to open a new round of nuclear talks in Oslo next week, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

According to the Axios report, White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Norwegian capital. The meeting, while not yet confirmed publicly by either government, is being discussed as a potential breakthrough following a 12-day war between Iran and Israel that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.

While the final date remains unannounced, Axios reported that Witkoff and Araghchi have been in direct contact during and after the conflict - a shift from Tehran’s earlier stance of refusing talks in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Mediation efforts by officials from Oman and Qatar have also played a role in facilitating backchannel communication, the outlet noted.

Israel’s Channel 12 was the first to report on the potential diplomatic meeting.

At the centre of these proposed talks is Iran’s growing stockpile of highly enriched Uranium, including an estimated 400 kilograms enriched up to 60 per cent purity - a central issue in international concern over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Axios reported that this material is currently inaccessible, as it remains locked inside heavily damaged enrichment facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, which were targeted in the joint US-Israeli strikes.

Although the uranium stockpile is presently out of reach due to the extensive structural damage at the sites, US and Israeli officials told Axios that once debris is cleared, the material could potentially be recovered by Iran.

Complicating the diplomatic landscape further, Iran announced earlier this week that it has begun implementing a new parliamentary law that suspends cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Araghchi stated on social media: “While Iran remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Safeguards Agreement, future engagement with the IAEA will be directed through the Supreme National Security Council due to ‘obvious safety and security reasons.’”

As the US weighs a return to negotiations and regional tensions continue to simmer, the upcoming Oslo talks, if they materialise, may be a crucial test of diplomacy in a fragile post-conflict environment.