Muscat - The United States and Iran went into detail about a potential nuclear deal Saturday at their third consecutive round of talks, hoping to strike an accord that would ease regional tensions.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again led the talks, which this time included a technical-level meeting between experts from both sides.
The discussions via mediators in Muscat lasted more than seven hours, according to Iranian officials and state media.
US-Iran talks on Saturday identified a shared aspiration to reach an agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments. 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, said Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister
The discussions are aimed at striking a new deal that would stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons -- an objective Tehran denies pursuing -- in return for relief from crippling sanctions.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of an earlier multilateral nuclear deal during his first term in office.
The latest talks took place in a "serious atmosphere", Tehran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Iran's defence and missile capabilities were not discussed, Baqaei said separately to state TV, while an Iranian negotiator told Tasnim that the talks were "uniquely about sanctions and nuclear questions".
Michael Anton, the State Department's head of policy planning, headed the US expert-level delegation, while deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi led Tehran's, according to Tasnim.
The delegations were placed in separate rooms and communicated via the hosts, Baqaei said in a statement.
Araghchi had earlier expressed "cautious optimism", saying this week: "If the sole demand by the US is for Iran not to possess nuclear weapons, this demand is achievable".
But if Washington had "impractical or illogical demands, we will naturally encounter problems", he added.
- Trump would 'prefer a deal' -
Before the talks, Trump, in an interview published Friday by Time magazine, reiterated his threat of military action if a deal fell through.
But he added that he "would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped". The talks began in Muscat a fortnight a go and continued in Rome last Saturday.
They are the highest-level engagement between the long-time foes since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the landmark 2015 accord that gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Since returning to the office, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy of sanctions against Tehran.
In March, he wrote to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing talks, but also warning of potential military action if diplomacy failed.
On Tuesday, Washington announced new sanctions targeting Iran's oil network -- a move Tehran described as "hostile" ahead of Saturday's talks.
- 'Non-negotiable' right -
In an interview released Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington's firm stance against Iran's uranium enrichment.
Iran currently enriches uranium up to 60 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit imposed by the 2015 deal but still below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.
Araghchi has previously called Iran's right to enrich uranium "non-negotiable".
Tehran last year revived engagement with Britain, France and Germany -- also signatories to the 2015 deal -- holding several rounds of nuclear talks ahead of the US meetings.
Last week, Rubio urged the three European states to decide whether to trigger the "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 agreement, which would automatically reinstate UN sanctions on Iran over its non-compliance.
The option to use the mechanism expires in October.
Talks so far
Second round of talks in Rome: A spokesperson for Oman’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that meetings in Rome between Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, mediated by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Oman’s Foreign Minister, resulted in an agreement by both parties to transition to the next phase of negotiations.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that both sides have agreed to enter into the next phase of their discussions that aim to seal a fair, enduring, and binding deal which will ensure Iran is completely free of nuclear weapons and sanctions, and maintain its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy.
Araqchi and Witkoff interacted briefly at the end of the first round, but officials from the two countries have not held direct negotiations since 2015 under former U.S. President Barack Obama.
First round of talks
Muscat - The Sultanate of Oman hosted on April 12 a meeting between Dr. Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of Iran, and Steve Witkoff, US Presidential Envoy, to begin a process of dialogue and negotiations between the two sides.
Sayyid Badr Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, said, “I am proud to announce that today in Muscat we hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Abbas Araghchi and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and mediated to begin a process of dialogue and negotiations with the shared aim of concluding a fair and binding agreement”.
Sayyid Badr explained that the meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security, and stability.
He extended his thanks to both parties for their commitment to this positive step, affirming that the Sultanate of Oman will continue advocating dialogue and understanding, and contributing to favorable conditions for constructive and sustainable outcomes.
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