Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, met in Geneva with Dr Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to discuss preparations for the second round of Iranian-American talks, scheduled to be held indirectly on Tuesday in Geneva.
During the meeting, both sides emphasised the importance of working to promote understanding and consensus to reach an agreement that meets the goals and aspirations of the parties to these negotiations. Sayyid Badr affirmed the Sultanate of Oman’s steadfast approach in supporting dialogue and diplomacy, and its keenness to continue contributing to efforts supporting security, peace and stability to spare the region and its people the scourge of wars and conflicts, expressing his high appreciation for the trust that the parties place in the Omani mediation in this regard, a responsibility that the Sultanate of Oman takes very seriously and with great attention.
A number of officials from both sides attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister met with the UN nuclear watchdog chief on Monday, ahead of talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at resolving a nuclear issue, with few clear signs of compromise from either side.
The US and Iran renewed negotiations earlier this month hoping to tackle their decades-long issue over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Oil prices were little changed on Monday, with investors weighing the market implications of upcoming US-Iran talks aimed at de-escalating frictions against a backdrop of expected Opec+ supply increases
However, Washington has sought to expand the scope of talks to non-nuclear issues such as Iran's missile stockpile. Tehran says it is only willing to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief and won't accept zero uranium enrichment. It says its missile capabilities are off the table.
Speaking during a visit to Hungary on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a deal with Tehran would be hard.
"I think that there's an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement that addresses the things we're concerned about. We'll be very open and welcoming to that."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he was in Geneva to "achieve a fair and equitable deal". "What is not on the table: submission before threats," Araqchi said on X.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said Araqchi had discussed cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as Tehran's technical point of view regarding nuclear talks with the US during his meeting with IAEA head Rafael Grossi.
The IAEA has been calling on Iran for months to say what happened to its stockpile of 440 kg of highly enriched uranium. - Agencies
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