Only 'one or two issues' remain unresolved in Iran-Oman talks, a senior diplomatic source tells Al Jazeera

Oman has long served as the preferred back-channel between Tehran and Western interlocutors, and headlines framed around a narrowing set of unresolved issues have historically marked the late stages of negotiated tracks of this kind, where the remaining sticking points tend to be the most politically loaded ones. Episodes at this stage have typically resolved in one of two ways: either a framework announcement follows within weeks, or the talks stall on the final items and both sides revert to public posturing, with the gap between 'one or two issues' and 'none' proving the hardest to close. The transmission channel in comparable episodes runs through crude, with the market pricing a probability-weighted path for sanctions relief and incremental supply return, alongside knock-ons for Gulf risk premia in freight and insurance; a confirmed deal has historically pressured the front of the oil curve while a collapse revives the geopolitical bid. Worth noting that sourcing here is a single diplomatic channel quoted to regional media, and such readouts have on past occasions been optimistic relative to the eventual outcome, so confirmation from the other side of the table is the tell that matters. The follow-ons are any statement from the counterparties, movement on the specific outstanding items, and whether the negotiating calendar produces a formal signing or announcement window.