Senior US official chastises Oman for ‘duplicitous’ conduct while mediating previous failed US-Iran talks

A senior US official lashes out at Oman over its “duplicitous” conduct in mediating talks between the US and Iran, which fell apart ahead of the war launched against Iran on February 28.

“We felt they were very duplicitous and almost like employees of the Iranians in the way that they maneuvered,” the senior US official says during a briefing with reporters.

By contrast, the official touts the efforts of Qatar and Pakistan, which served as mediators after the war broke out.

The official says pundits accused the administration of not understanding Iran’s position in those failed talks when the reality was that Washington understood it very well, which was why the US pulled out of them, convinced Iran was not interested in reaching a deal that would be good for the United States.

But the ensuing war led Iran to change its position because its economy and military were both decimated, the US official claims.

The government in Iran was also shaken up and more space was given to those in the system who are interested in adopting a different approach.

The US official also claims that Project Freedom was an “unsung hero” that limited Iran’s leverage in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump announced that he was shelving the operation to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, less than two days after he unveiled it. But the US official claims it continued covertly and allowed for the easing of the bottleneck created in the channel.

The other US official on the briefing says the US will keep its current military posture in the region, but will withdraw troops if nuclear talks with Iran advance in the right direction.

The MOU “contemplates the reduction of military forces in the region upon the agreement of a final deal,” the official says.