Ali Akbar Salehi's Account of Secret Iran-U.S. Negotiations in Oman

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization during Rouhani's administration and the foreign minister under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, provided details about the secret negotiations between Iran and the U.S. in Oman prior to Rouhani's presidency in an interview with the special supplement of the Iran newspaper. In this interview published on Tuesday, August 4, Salehi stated that when he met with Hassan Rouhani after his victory in the 2013 presidential election, he informed him about the secret negotiations between Iran and the U.S. in Oman, and the progress of the negotiations was 'incredible' for Rouhani. Salehi refers to how the initiative for secret negotiations was proposed, stating that Omani officials first suggested mediating between Iran and the U.S. to resolve the nuclear issue. According to Salehi, after several exchanges of messages between Iran and Omani officials, permission was sought from Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, for face-to-face negotiations. He mentioned his meeting with the Iranian leader, saying, 'I continued by saying, 'If you allow us to take action for clarification in this matter, we will not lose anything; either we will reach a conclusion or we will not. These negotiations will also be secret, and we will try to ensure they do not exploit it.' Ultimately, the Supreme Leader stated that for clarification, it is a correct matter, and he had no objection to it, but he had several conditions. First, the negotiations should only be about the nuclear issue, meaning no discussions about bilateral relations should take place. Second, be cautious so that, like the talks with the 1+5, it does not turn into 'negotiation for negotiation,' and in the first one or two sessions, you should be able to reach a conclusion.' Salehi indicated that the secret negotiations between Iran and the U.S. began with Khamenei's positive view. The foreign minister during Ahmadinejad's administration stated that in the second round of negotiations held in late 2012, 'the parties stayed in Oman for two or three days, resulting in the Sultan of Oman writing a letter to Dr. Ahmadinejad stating that the U.S. representative acknowledged Iran's right to enrichment. Sultan Qaboos sent the same letter to the U.S. President. When this letter reached Ahmadinejad, some friends commented that these actions would not lead to any conclusion.' He added, 'We were preparing to enter the third session with the Americans to implement the roadmap and determine the details of mutual commitments. These interactions were related to a time when our country was on the verge of presidential elections. At that time, we were informed from the office of the Supreme Leader that, according to his discretion, the negotiations should be halted; let the next government pursue the negotiations after the elections.' Salehi stated that after the presidential elections, he visited Hassan Rouhani. He said, 'I went to him and said that we had such negotiations with the U.S., and now, based on the Supreme Leader's recommendation, we have halted these negotiations for you to continue this path. When Mr. Rouhani became aware of the details of these negotiations, the matter was not credible for him.' Iran and the six world powers eventually reached a comprehensive agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute in July of this year.