TEHRAN – President Trump's claim last week that the U.S. and Iran would hold direct talks in Oman on April 12 turned out to be false, leading many to believe it was a clumsy attempt at psychological manipulation. 

Trump made the announcement during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, but Iran quickly set the record straight, clarifying that the talks would be indirect and mediated by Oman.

As announced by Tehran, Saturday's discussions in Muscat were indeed held indirectly, with Iranian and American delegates in separate rooms, communicating only through written messages passed by the Omani Foreign Minister. 

A brief hello between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was the only direct contact. The two officials greeted each other out of “diplomatic courtesy” while they were leaving the halls to head to their capitals, according to Araghchi. 

Major U.S. news outlets, including CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Axios, Fox News, and CBS, reported on the indirect talks and confirmed their Tehran-announced nature without even mentioning Trump's earlier claim, showing a perhaps unwanted rejection of what many see as a disingenuous pressure tactic against Iran. 

Experts suggest Trump's misrepresentation was likely a play to project an image of U.S. leverage, control, and proactiveness.

The second round of the talks, set for April 19th, will also be held indirectly.