ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US President Donald Trump described the opening round of new negotiations with Iran as “very good” on Saturday, once more doubling down on his threat of a US naval fleet approaching Iranian waters ahead of the next bout of talks which he said are to be held “early next week.”

“They had a very good meeting with a very high representative of Iran, and we’ll see how it all turns out," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

"We’re going to meet again early next week, and they want to make a deal, Iran, as they should want to make a deal. They know the consequences if they don’t. If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep. So we’ll see what happens," he added. 

The Omani capital of Muscat on Friday hosted top Iranian and American diplomats for talks aiming to prepare the appropriate conditions for “resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations.”

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi met with the Iranian delegation, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the American delegation, led US by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, separately, exchanging messages between the two sides.

The indirect format is similar to that used during nuclear talks in 2025, which saw numerous rounds of dialogue that were cut short after Israel launched an extensive bombing campaign in Iran in June that eventually saw US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Araghchi on Friday said the first round of talks with Washington on Friday “was a good start,” adding that the two sides have agreed to continue negotiations following consultations with their governments.

Trump stressed that Tehran can have “no nuclear weapons,” noting that Iran was unwilling to reach a deal two years ago but is now “willing to do much more than they would have a year and a half ago.”

The talks in Muscat have primarily focused on Iran’s nuclear program, the raison d'etre of crippling sanctions imposed by Western countries on the country. The US has also demanded Iran terminate its ballistic missile program.

Tehran has repeatedly said that its ballistic missile program is “not subject to negotiation,” insisting on its right to defend the country, as well as its right to pursue the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Trump further warned that Washington has “a big fleet” heading toward Tehran, adding that it is going to be there “pretty soon.”

The US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and its accompanying strike group have been redirected from the South China Sea to the Middle East in recent weeks as tensions boil.

Friday’s talks also came amid heightening tensions between Tehran and Washington, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening to militarily intervene if Iran continues killing protesters amid the ongoing nationwide protests.

Iranian authorities have delivered a heavy-handed response to the protests, killing, injuring, and arresting tens of thousands of people. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported that Iranian security forces have killed more than 6,950 protesters and arrested over 51,000 since the demonstrations began in late December.