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Omani FM pushes diplomacy; UK allows US to use bases; Congress briefings set for Tuesday

·Muscat / London / Washington D.C.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said the "door to diplomacy" remained open, noting Geneva talks had made "genuine progress towards an unprecedented agreement" before the strikes. UK PM Starmer gave consent for US to use British military bases for defensive operations. Congress will receive classified briefings Tuesday from Rubio, Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) called Khamenei's death a "good thing" but criticized the lack of a plan — "Hope is not a strategy." Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said Americans "are not safer today."

Diplomatic and political developments on the evening of March 1: Oman backchannel: Omani FM Badr al-Busaidi posted on social media: "Talks in Geneva made genuine progress towards an unprecedented agreement between Iran and the United States and although the hope was to avoid war, war should not mean that the hope of peace is extinguished. I still believe in the power of diplomacy to resolve this conflict. The sooner talks are resumed the better it is for everyone." He had earlier lamented that ongoing negotiations with Iran had been undermined by the strikes and warned that US and global interests could suffer if military operations escalate. UK position: PM Keir Starmer gave consent for the US to use British military bases — including RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and RAF Fairford — for defensive operations related to the conflict. The UK characterized its support as defensive in nature. Congressional response: • Congress will receive classified briefings Tuesday — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine will brief the full membership of both chambers. • Senate briefing at 3:30 PM ET, House briefing at 5 PM ET. • War Powers Resolution push: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is seeking a vote, saying it would be "close — it depends if we can keep several Democrats in line." • Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on Meet the Press: Called Khamenei's death a "good thing" but criticized: "Hope is not a strategy. We got to have a plan here. What is the strategic goal, and how do we achieve it?" • Rep. Khanna: "The ayatollah was 86. They were picking the new leader before we killed the ayatollah. The question is, is the country going to descend into civil war?" • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "It's not our job to pick Iran's next leader. Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the largest state sponsor of terrorism. No boots on the ground."
omandiplomacyukcongresswar-powerskellykhannagrahamday-2

Actor responses

IranNEUTRALdiplomatic_note

Iran monitoring Omani diplomacy but National Security Council has stated Iran will not negotiate under fire. Oman's mediation position acknowledged but ceasefire conditions not yet met.

United StatesNEUTRALofficial_statement

White House acknowledges Oman's diplomatic efforts but Trump says Iran must first stop its retaliatory strikes before any talks can begin.

Sources

T1NBC News / Meet the Press95% reliability
T1Reuters99% reliability
T1AP98% reliability
T2Times of Israel88% reliability

Related signals (3)

UK Prime Minister@@10DowningStreetHIGH

Joint Statement by PM Starmer, President Macron and Chancellor Merz: "We did not participate in the initial strikes on Iran, and we will not join offensive action now. But Iran is pursuing a scorched earth strategy — so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region. Iran must cease its arbitrary military strikes. We call on Iran to seek a negotiated solution. We all remember the mistakes of Iraq. And we have learned those lessons. It is my duty to protect British lives." — PM Starmer statement, 1 March 2026 (gov.uk)

2026-03-01 20:00 UTC
134.0K likes78.0K RT8.9M views
PHAROS NOTE✅ Official UK gov.uk statement, confirmed by Guardian, BBC, LBC. Three critical signals: (1) "did not participate" — distancing from US offensive; (2) "scorched earth" — framing Iran as the escalator to justify defensive support; (3) "mistakes of Iraq" — directly addressing domestic political risk. France and Germany co-signed. US can now use RAF Akrotiri (Cyprus) and RAF Fairford for defensive operations.
Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs@@OmijStAffairsHIGH

FM Badr al-Busaidi: "Talks in Geneva made genuine progress towards an unprecedented agreement between Iran and the United States and although the hope was to avoid war, war should not mean that the hope of peace is extinguished. I still believe in the power of diplomacy to resolve this conflict. The sooner talks are resumed the better it is for everyone."

2026-03-01 19:46 UTC
45.0K likes34.0K RT3.2M views
PHAROS NOTE✅ Official Omani FM statement. Oman has historically served as the primary US-Iran back-channel — facilitating the 2015 JCPOA and prisoner exchanges. The reference to "genuine progress" in Geneva suggests the pre-strike negotiations were closer to a deal than publicly known. NBC confirmed FM al-Busaidi had earlier lamented that negotiations were "undermined" by the strikes.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)@@SenMarkKellyHIGH

Khamenei was a brutal dictator. The world is safer with him gone — that's a good thing. But hope is not a strategy. We've got to have a plan here. What is the strategic goal, and how do we achieve it? The Ayatollah was 86 years old. They were already picking the new leader before we killed him. The question now is: is the country going to descend into civil war? Are billions of our dollars going to be spent there? Are American troops going to be at risk? Getting in is easy. Getting out — that is incredibly challenging.

2026-03-01 16:30 UTC
189.0K likes87.0K RT9.4M views
PHAROS NOTE✅ From Meet the Press interview. Kelly (D-AZ) is a former astronaut and Navy combat pilot — his military credibility gives this weight. The "hope is not a strategy" line directly quotes Trump's Truth Social post about IRGC "peacefully merging with Iranian patriots." Kelly also criticized Trump for withdrawing from the JCPOA in his first term.