For the first time in years, Iran and the United States conducted direct talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The meeting was held in Muscat, Oman, marking the first face-to-face meeting between officials from both nations since the Obama administration. The dialogue took place amid heightened tensions since US President Donald Trump took office, as per a report by the Associated Press.
US-Iran negotiation talks
The meeting was confirmed by Iranian state television, stating that US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ”briefly spoke” during Saturday’s talks. The meeting commenced at 3:30 pm local time and continued for two hours. The talks were completed by 5:50 pm, and both sides agreed to have another meeting on April 19.
President Trump told reporters regarding the meeting, ‘’I think they’re going OK. Nothing matters until you get it sonde, so I don’t like talking about it. But it’s going OK. The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think,’’ as quoted by Reuters.
The White House called the discussions ”very constructive and positive”, but also acknowledged that resolving complicated issues involved will take time. ”Special Envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step ahead in attaining a mutually beneficial outcome,” read the statement as quoted by the Associated Press.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated on social media that the negotiations had begun indirectly before the brief in-person exchange. Araghchi shared details about the meeting with Iranian TV that the meeting was constructive and four rounds of messages were exchanged. ”Neither side wants talks for the sake of talking. The aim is to reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” he stated.
Agenda of the US-Iran meeting
Witkoff highlighted that the US aims to deconstruct Iran’s nuclear capabilities for preventing weaponization. ”That’s our red line,” he added. He also pointed out that there is room for compromise. However, Araghchi describes the talks as a ”polite exchange.”
The key concern of the meeting is US sanctions and Iran’s uranium enrichment. According to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was limited to enriching uranium up to 3.67%. At present, Iran is enriching up to 60%, which is near to weapons-grade.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the discussions, stated that the atmosphere was friendly and efforts will continue on for a long-term agreement.
(With inputs from Associated Press)