“The foreign ministry expresses the Republic of Iraq’s welcome of the start of the Iranian-American talks in the sisterly Sultanate of Oman and appreciates the positive indicators resulting from the first round of dialogue between the two sides,” the ministry said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday held indirect talks on Tehran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief supported by Oman.
The two parties were in separate rooms, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi mediating between them. They both hailed the talks as constructive and a step in the right direction, with Araghchi saying that the negotiations would resume next Saturday.
In the statement, Baghdad also expressed hope that “the talks will lead to positive results in the future, contribute to easing tensions, and build trust between the two sides, in the interest of the peoples of the region and enhance security and peace.”
Araghchi and Witkoff also briefly met face-to-face as they were leaving the venue of the talks and chatted for a few minutes, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
Trump would like a new nuclear deal with Iran after he withdrew from a previous pact in 2018. The 2015 deal with world powers saw Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions. After exiting the pact, Trump imposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic, which in turn began rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Upon returning to office, Trump in early February restored his “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran, arguing that it is “too close” to a nuclear weapon. He has threatened military action if they fail to reach a deal.
Iran has always maintained that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. In a rare op-ed on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi stated that “under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.”
