The first round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States (U.S.), mediated by the Gulf state of Oman, ended on Saturday, and the talks are expected to continue next week, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
The Ministry stated that the talks, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, “were held in a constructive atmosphere based on mutual respect.”
The two sides, the statement says, “exchanged the positions of their governments on issues related to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and the lifting of illegal sanctions on Iran.”
The talks were mediated by Badr Al Busaidi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman.
Both sides agreed that the next round of negotiations would be held next week.
The statement adds that the heads of the two delegations “briefly spoke to each other in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman” as they were leaving the negotiation site, which lasted more than 2.5 hours in Oman’s capital, Muscat.
Araghchi, accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign AffairsMajid Takht-Ravanchi, arrived in Muscat early on Saturday to participate in the long-anticipated talks.
The talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program and come amid heightened tensions between the two countries, especially since Donald Trump returned to the U.S. presidency in January.
Trump recently threatened Iran with bombing and additional tariffs if it fails to reach an agreement with the U.S. on its nuclear program, which provoked strong reactions from Tehran.
The U.S. and Israel accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.
Iran has refused to engage in direct negotiations with the U.S., but agreed to conduct indirect talks through Oman’s mediation after a recent exchange of letters between the two sides.
The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said earlier on Saturday that representatives of the Iranian and U.S. sides sat in separate rooms and conveyed their positions to each other through the Omani mediator.
Photo: Al Jazeera
