Teharan— “During the recent round of negotiations, we provided answers to the other side’s questions, and the atmosphere was completely serious and work-focused,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters after concluding the third round of US-Iran talks in the Omani capital Muscat on Saturday.
Both the Iranian and the American negotiating teams pointed at a positive but cautious outcome of talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff led their respected teams.
Araghchi said although the two sides had moved beyond general discussions and engaged seriously on detailed matters, key disagreements persist. “It was agreed that further reviews would be conducted in the capitals ahead of the next meeting to identify ways to narrow the gaps,” he stressed as quoted by the Tehran Times.
The next round of negotiations is expected to take place next Saturday 3 May 2025 in Muscat, with the participation of expert teams that will be reinforced in accordance with the technical needs of the discussions, according to the Iranian FM. The American side said the next meeting would be in Europe.
“Today’s third round of talks, in Muscat, were positive and productive. This latest round of direct and indirect discussions lasted over four hours. There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal. We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks,” a senior Trump administration official said as cited by the CNN.
On his part, the Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi said in a statement that the talks had identified “a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments,” adding that core principles, objectives, and technical concerns were addressed.
According to the Iranian FM’s spokesman, the talks focused on two principal areas: securing the effective termination of US sanctions and building trust regarding the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. “Safeguarding Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy remains central to the discussions,” the spokesman said as quoted by Iran Times.
However, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that “the US does not envision Iran enriching its own nuclear material, but rather importing the nuclear fuel – uranium – needed for a civilian energy program,” according the CNN. Nevertheless, Iran has always made it clear that its right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable.
The Iranian technical delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi. On the US side, Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, led the technical discussions.