Iran and the US have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the country is "very cautious" about the possibility of a successful negotiation process to resolve the decades-long stalemate.
Araqchi and Donald Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff held a third round of talks at Muscat via Oman mediation, lasting about 6 hours, after a second round in Rome was assessed by both sides as constructive.
Araqchi stressed that the negotiations took place very seriously and were highly technical, but there were still many major disagreements on both the main issues and the small details. Although both delegations have shown seriousness and determination, Mr. Araqchi said that optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement is still at an extremely cautious level.
A senior US official described the negotiations as positive and effective, saying the two sides had agreed to meet again in Europe soon for further discussions. Oman Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi previously announced that negotiations would continue next week, with a high-level meeting scheduled for May 3, the venue to be announced by Oman.
Before the meeting at the head of the delegation, the two sides held indirect expert-level negotiations at Muscat (Oman) to design a framework for a potential nuclear deal. Araqchi said the presence of experts was very useful and the two sides would return to their capital to review and find ways to narrow the disagreement.
The only goal of the negotiations, Araqchi said, is to build confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting the embargo. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that a deal could be reached with Iran, but also did not rule out the possibility of using military action if diplomacy failed.
Although both Tehran and Washington have affirmed their desire to pursue a diplomatic path, the two sides still have many deep differences. Trump has resumed a "maximum pressure" campaign since February, after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal in his first term and reimposing harsh sanctions on Iran.
Since 2019, Iran has violated the limits of the old agreement, including accelerating uranium enrichment to 60%, compared to 90% for the purpose of making nuclear weapons. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asked Iran to completely end uranium enrichment, only importing uranium for the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Tehran is ready to negotiate some restrictions in exchange for lifting sanctions, but insists that ending the uranium enrichment program or abandoning current uranium reserves are "red lines" that cannot be violated.
European countries have suggested that the new deal should include limiting the capability of attaching nuclear warheads to ballistic missiles, but Iran is determined not to negotiate on the missile program.
