The third round of negotiations on the nuclear program between Iran and the United States (U.S.) in the capital of Oman, Muscat, ended on Saturday, Iranian state media reported.
Delegations of both countries will return to their capitals for consultations before meeting again for another round next Saturday.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman Badr Al Busaidi said on X that the talks “identified a shared aspiration to reach an agreement based on mutual respect and lasting commitments.”
“The fundamental principles, objectives, and technical issues were discussed. The talks will continue next week, and another high-level meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 3rd,” he added.
Saturday’s talks were held a week after the previous round held in Rome and included diplomatic negotiations and technical discussions at the expert level between the two sides.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian side, while the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff led the U.S. side, as in the previous two rounds.
Negotiations focusing on Iran’s nuclear program began two weeks ago in Muscat, mediated by the Omani government.
After the last round of talks in Rome, Araghchi said that Tehran and Washington had reached a “better understanding” on a range of principles and objectives, without going into details.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action against Iran if a new agreement, to replace the 2015 deal reached under the Obama administration, is not achieved.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that the third round is taking place “in a serious atmosphere, where the sides exchanged views and opinions on both areas of effective sanctions relief and building trust regarding the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program/protecting Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy through the Omani side.”
He added that reaching an understanding requires respect for Iran’s legitimate rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and ensuring effective lifting of sanctions.
The spokesman also rejected media reports that the country’s ballistic missile program is being mentioned in the talks.
