MUSCAT (AFP) — Iran and the United States (US) began talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington refusing to rule out military action against the Islamic republic over its deadly crackdown on mass protests.

Iran has insisted the Oman-mediated talks will be centered solely on its nuclear program, while the United States also wants to discuss Tehran’s backing for militant groups in the region and its ballistic missile program.

The talks are the first between the two foes since the US joined Israel’s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites.

President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are leading their delegations at the negotiations in Oman, which acts as a mediator between the countries.

Iranian state media reported the talks had begun, with Araghchi saying Tehran maintains “full readiness to defend the country’s sovereignty and national security against any excessive demands or adventurism” by the US.

“Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year. We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights,” Araghchi added on X.

“Commitments need to be honored. Equal standing, mutual respect and mutual interest are not rhetoric — they are a must and the pillars of a durable agreement,” he said.

Iran had said on Thursday it had a “responsibility not to miss any opportunity to use diplomacy” to preserve peace, adding it hoped Washington would participate in the discussions “with responsibility, realism and seriousness.”

The US delegation intends to explore “zero nuclear capacity” for Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, warning that Trump had “many options at his disposal aside from diplomacy.”

The meeting comes just under a month after the peak of a wave of nationwide protests in Iran against the clerical leadership, which rights groups say were repressed with an unprecedented crackdown that has left thousands dead.

“They’re negotiating,” Trump said of Iran on Thursday.

“They don’t want us to hit them, we have a big fleet going there,” he added, referring to the aircraft carrier group he has repeatedly called an “armada.”

Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters and even told demonstrators “help is on its way.”

But his rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making a bomb.

US Vice President JD Vance told SiriusXM in an interview broadcast Wednesday that Trump would “keep his options open”.

“He is going to talk to everybody, he is going to try to accomplish what he can through non-military means and if he feels like the military is the only option then he is ultimately going to choose that,” Vance said.