ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Talks with the United States are progressing and will move into expert-level technical negotiations beginning Wednesday in Oman, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media on Saturday after hours of indirect discussions with Washington’s envoy in Rome.
“Today we had four hours of negotiations. This time, building on the previous meeting, we made progress and reached a better understanding on several principles and objectives,” Araghchi told Tehran’s state broadcaster IRIB in Rome.
“It was decided that the negotiations would continue and enter the next stages, and expert meetings would begin. Technical negotiations at the expert level will be held in Oman starting Wednesday of this week,” he added.
Talks between Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff about Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief began last Saturday in Oman, mediated by Oman’s foreign minister. Araghchi said that they will meet again next Saturday in Oman and review the results of the “experts' work.”
In an interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, Araghchi said their discussions focus on strengthening trust-building measures regarding Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.
“The Americans have not raised any issues unrelated to the nuclear topic so far,” he added.
Araghchi, in a post on X, expressed cautious optimism about talks with the US, saying they have made progress on “principles and objectives of a possible deal.”
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said both sides had a “highly constructive approach to the talks today.”
“These talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible,” he said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump is hoping to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran to replace the one that he withdrew from in 2018. Under that agreement, Tehran agreed to curb its uranium enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. After the US exited the agreement and imposed sweeping sanctions, Tehran gradually rolled back on its nuclear commitments.
Trump has said Tehran is “too close” to developing a nuclear weapon and threatened military action should it not agree to a new deal.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Updated at 11:04 pm
