Iran says ‘extremely cautious’ about the success of nuclear conversations with us

• President Trump is sure to be a new Iranian nuclear deal.
• Tehran, Washington holds the third round of talks in Muscat.
• Omani FM says talks will continue next week.

Muscat: Iran and the United States agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides reported on Saturday, although Iran’s Foreign Minister Abas Araqchi expressed “extreme careful” for the success of the negotiations for decades.

US President Donald Trump has marked the confidence in achieving a new pact with the Islamic Republic that will block Tehran’s course in a nuclear bomb.

Araqchi’s envoy and Trump’s Middle East, Steve Witkoff, held a third round of talks in Muscat through Oman’s mediators for about six hours, a week after a second round in Rome, the two sides described as constructive.

“The negotiations are extremely serious and technical … There are still differences, both on important issues and details,” Araqchi told Iranian State TV.

“There is seriousness and determination on both sides … However, our optimism about the success of talks remains extremely careful.”

A senior US administration employee described talks and positive and productive talks, adding that both sides have agreed to meet again in Europe “soon”. “There is still a lot to do, but further progress has been made to reach an agreement,” the official added.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Oman Badr Albusaidi said the talks would continue next week, with another “high -level meeting” temporarily scheduled for May 3. Araqchi said Oman would announce the site.

Prior to the negotiators meeting, indirect talks were held at the level of experts to design a framework for a possible nuclear deal.

“The presence of experts was beneficial … We will return to our capitals for further reviews to see how disagreements can be reduced,” Araqchi said.

An Iranian official was informed of the talks, he told Reuters earlier that the expert negotiations were “difficult, complex and serious”.

The only goal of these talks, Araqchi said, was “to build confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions”.

Trump, in an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, said that “I think we will make an agreement with Iran”, but reiterated a threat of military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.

Shortly after Araqchi and Witkoff began their latest indirect talks on Saturday, Iranian state media reported a huge explosion at the country’s Shahid Rajaee port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, killing at least four people and injuring hundreds.

Maximum pressure

While both Tehran and Washington said they have been set to pursue diplomacy, they remain far away in a dispute that has collapsed for more than two decades.

Trump, who has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign in Tehran since February, broke a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reiterated Iran’s sanctions.

Since 2019, Iran has violated the pact’s nuclear curbs, including the “dramatically” acceleration of uranium enrichment by up to 60% purity, close to about 90% of weapons, according to UN nuclear observer.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that this week Iran should completely stop uranium enrichment by agreement and introduce any enriched uranium that had to supply the unique individual energy plant, Bushehr.

Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs in its nuclear work in return for the removal of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but the termination of its enrichment program or the delivery of the enriched uranium stock is between the “red lines”.

In addition, our European states have suggested to the negotiators that a comprehensive agreement should include limits that prevent Iran from gaining or finalizing the ability to put nuclear head in a ballistic missile, several European diplomats said.

Tehran insists that its defensive abilities, such as its rocket program, E is not negotiable.

An Iranian official with knowledge of talks said Friday that Tehran is seeing his rocket program as a biggest obstacle to talks.