3rd round of nuclear talks between Iran and US concludes in Muscat

TEHRAN, Iran

The third round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US in the Omani capital Muscat concluded on Saturday, Iranian state media reported.

Delegations of both countries will now return to their capitals for consultations before they reconvene for another round next Saturday.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, in a tweet, said the talks “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments.”

“Core principles, objectives, and technical concerns were all addressed. Talks will continue next week with a further high-level meeting provisionally scheduled for May 3rd,” he added.

The talks on Saturday came a week after the previous round was held in Rome and included diplomatic parleys and technical, expert-level discussions between the two sides.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian side, while US Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff led the American side, as in the previous two rounds.

The negotiations focusing on Iran’s nuclear program began two weeks ago in Muscat under the mediation of the Omani government.

After the last round of talks in Rome, Araghchi said Tehran and Washington reached a “better understanding” on a number of principles and objectives, without going into specifics.

US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Iran if a new deal is not reached, which would replace the 2015 deal brokered under the Obama administration.

Earlier on Saturday, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, said the third round was being held “in a serious atmosphere, with the parties exchanging their positions and views on both areas of effective sanctions relief and confidence-building 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 respecting Iran’s legitimate rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and assuring effective sanctions lifting.

The spokesman also rejected media reports that the country’s ballistic missile program figures in the talks.

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