ROME: Iranian and US negotiators wrapped up a fifth round of talks on Friday, with mediator Oman saying there was some progress in negotiations aimed at resolving a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, stated, "The talks made some progress without reaching conclusive results. We hope that in the coming days we will be able to clarify the outstanding issues, allowing us to move forward towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable agreement."
This round of talks is a continuation of the mutual desire between the two sides to seek peaceful solutions and enhance the climate of dialogue to reach an understanding on the outstanding issues between Iran and the US.
The two sides will meet again, though the date and venue still have to be decided. There was no immediate comment from the US delegation at Friday's session in Rome.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was potential for progress in the negotiations after Oman made several proposals, but the talks were complicated and more discussions were needed.
"We've just completed one of the most professional rounds of negotiations," Araqchi said.
The stakes are high for both sides. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had led the fifth round of talks through the Omani mediators, Iranian media reported.
Both Washington and Tehran have taken a tough stance in public over Iran's intensifying uranium enrichment programme, which could potentially give it scope to build a nuclear weapon, though Tehran says it has no such ambitions and the purposes are purely civilian.
Ahead of the talks, Araqchi wrote on X: "Zero nuclear weapons = we Do have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide." — Agencies
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