US-Iran nuclear talks held in Oman; Tehran says its ‘defense capabilities’ not on agenda
Third round of negotiations between Araghchi and Witkoff preceded by technical-level talks; US official says ‘still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal’
Top Iranian and US negotiators held a third round of talks in as many weeks in Oman on Saturday to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, as US President Donald Trump signaled confidence in his ability to seal a new pact that would block Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb.
The talks ran for several hours in Oman, whose Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said after the meeting that the negotiations will continue with a fourth round next week.
Iran and the US “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments,” al-Busaidi posted on X. “Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed. Talks will continue next week with a further high level meeting provisionally scheduled for May 3.”
A person close to Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, acknowledged that the meeting had started and later ended. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Iranian state television also reported their conclusion.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei earlier told Iranian state TV that the Iran’s defense capabilities and missile program were not on the agenda for Saturday’s talks. “The question of defense capacities and the country’s missiles is not [on the agenda] and has not been raised in the indirect talks,” the spokesperson said.
“Iran remains steadfast in its principled stance on the need to end unjust sanctions and is ready to build confidence about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program,” Baghaei told reporters in Oman.
While Iran says it opposes nuclear arms, the country has accelerated production of 60%-enriched uranium, an enrichment rate far above what is needed for civilian uses and a short technical step away from weapons-grade uranium.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that Washington seeks a deal that would prevent Iran from enriching any uranium, while his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi called the issue of enrichment “non-negotiable.”
Araghchi arrived Friday in Oman and met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has mediated the two previous rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome. Araghchi then visited the Muscat International Book Fair, surrounded by television cameras and photojournalists.
Meanwhile, Witkoff was in Moscow on Friday, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, and arrived Saturday in Oman.
Witkoff and Araghchi began their third round of indirect talks about midday in the Omani capital of Muscat, Iranian state television reported. Shortly after the start of the meeting was announced, Iranian media reported at least five killed and hundreds wounded in an explosion in a key port in the south of Iran.
Following the meeting, Araghchi said that differences remained between the Iranian and US sides.
“There are differences in both the major issues and in the details,” Araghchi told a state TV reporter in Muscat, adding that “the negotiations this time were much more serious than before.”
He also said the process and pace of the nuclear talks was satisfactory, adding that both sides showed “seriousness and determination” on Saturday.
Witkoff did not provide details of what was discussed, though a senior US administration official said the talks were positive and productive and that both sides agreed to meet again in Europe “soon.”
“There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” the official added.
Saturday’s negotiations were preceded this time by a technical-level meeting between experts from both sides. It was unclear if the technical talks were direct or indirect.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said that while only one day of talks was scheduled, “given that the negotiations have entered technical and expert-level discussions and the examination of details… [they] may be extended if necessary.”
From the Iranian side, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi was set to lead Tehran’s expert team, said Mohammad Golzari, an Iranian government official. Takht-e Ravanchi took part in the 2015 nuclear talks.
The US technical team was set to be led by Michael Anton, the director of US Secretary of State Rubio’s policy planning staff. Anton does not have the nuclear policy experience of those who led America’s efforts in the 2015 talks.
Trump, who traveled to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, told reporters aboard Air Force One that “the Iran situation is coming out very well.”
“We’ve had a lot of talks with them, and I think we’re going to have a deal. I’d much rather have a deal than the other alternative. That would be good for humanity,” said Trump. “There are some people that want to make a different kind of a deal — a much nastier deal — and I don’t want that to happen to Iran if we can avoid it.”
In an interview published by Time magazine Friday, Trump reiterated his hope that Iran’s nuclear program could be curbed diplomatically, but said he would be “leading the pack” in striking Iran if diplomacy fell short.
He also expressed willingness to meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran’s leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, and back a regional network of terror proxies to further that aim. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities be entirely dismantled.
The new US-Iran talks, which Trump announced in a meeting with Netanyahu at the White House earlier this month, are the highest-level engagement between the long-time foes since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Netanyahu, according to Hebrew media, was updated about the new talks just hours before Trump’s announcement, and failed to gain assurances that Israel’s demands would be met or of what would happen if the talks fell through.
Since returning to the office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Tehran. Speaking to Time, he blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the death toll in Gaza, saying that Biden’s softening of the sanctions enabled Iran to build up its terror proxies, including Hamas, whose invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in the Strip.
The Times of Israel Community.