Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, the primary mediator in the ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, stated on Friday, February 28, 2026, that a comprehensive agreement is “very much within reach” following significant breakthroughs in recent talks.
kabul 24: In an exclusive interview aired on CBS News’ Face the Nation (with portions referenced across networks including Fox News coverage), Al Busaidi – who traveled to Washington to meet Vice President JD Vance after mediating the latest round in Geneva – described a major concession from Iran: a firm commitment that it will “never, ever” stockpile materials capable of producing a nuclear bomb.”
The big achievement here is that Iran has accepted it will never have – and has never intended to have – the materials needed to build a nuclear weapon,” Al Busaidi said. He emphasized this represents a critical advance over the 2015 JCPOA (nuclear deal under President Obama), which did not include such an explicit zero-stockpile pledge on weapons-usable material.
He further explained: “By agreeing to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium suitable for bombs, the enrichment level debate becomes far less relevant. Without the ability to accumulate and store such material, there’s simply no pathway to a weapon – regardless of enrichment percentages.” Al Busaidi called this “a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved before” and noted it has received insufficient media attention.
Regarding Iran’s existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (some reportedly stored at damaged facilities in Isfahan per IAEA reports), the Omani minister indicated agreement has been reached to down-blend or dilute them to non-weapons-grade levels in a manner that is irreversible. “This is a dramatic shift,” he added, stressing full and comprehensive verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On inspections, Al Busaidi confirmed that – should a final deal be concluded – IAEA inspectors would gain unrestricted access, including to previously bombed or damaged nuclear sites, ensuring “complete and robust verification.”The Geneva talks (third round, mediated by Oman and involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the American side, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for Iran) concluded Thursday without a final agreement but with what Al Busaidi called “significant progress” and “creative, positive exchanges.” Technical-level discussions are set to resume next week in Vienna.
While President Trump has expressed frustration with the pace (“I’m not happy” with Iran’s negotiating stance) and maintains a hard line against any Iranian nuclear weapon, Al Busaidi expressed confidence that remaining issues – including sanctions relief, long-term guarantees, and missile-related concerns – could be resolved “amicably and comprehensively” if diplomacy is given space.
The Omani minister’s optimistic assessment comes amid heightened regional tensions, U.S. military buildup, and warnings of potential strikes if talks fail – yet he reiterated: “A peace deal is within our reach … I don’t think any alternative to diplomacy is going to solve this problem.”
