The United States and Iran concluded their third round of nuclear negotiations on Shabbos, agreeing to meet again on May 3, according to a report from Axios citing Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi, who is serving as an intermediary between the two sides.
Yesterday’s session in Muscat represented the first time the negotiators delved into the technical details of a possible deal, focusing primarily on the nuclear restrictions proposed by the U.S. and Iran’s insistence on substantial sanctions relief.
“The talks in Muscat were positive and productive. There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” said a senior U.S. official, as quoted by Axios.
Both working-level teams and top negotiators — White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi — participated in the meeting, which reportedly ran for over four hours and included a mix of direct dialogue and indirect exchanges.
An American source confirmed that talks would pick up again next week in Europe.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi commented, “US-Iran talks today identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments. Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, speaking to journalists traveling with him, expressed optimism about the talks. “This round of talks was much more serious than in the past, and we gradually moved into more detailed and technical discussions,” he said.
Araqchi shared that multiple written proposals had been exchanged during the marathon session. “Some differences are serious, some less so. I’m hopeful about reaching a deal, but yet cautious,” he concluded.
President Donald Trump has made clear that he would prefer to resolve the standoff with Iran through diplomacy, but he has also kept the possibility of military action on the table.
Earlier this month, Trump said that if military intervention becomes necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Israel would play a leading role in the operation.
“With Iran, if it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will be the leader of that. But nobody leads us, we do what we want to do,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
When asked about a specific deadline for negotiations with Iran, Trump declined to set a firm date. “I can’t really be specific, but when you start talks, you know if they’re going along well or not, and I would say the conclusion would be when I think they’re not going along well,” he said.
In earlier comments, Trump warned Tehran that failure to reach a deal would result in devastating consequences: “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
During an interview with Time Magazine on Friday, Trump reiterated that a nuclear deal could still be achieved without resorting to military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
He added that while he is prepared to use force if required, he is equally willing to meet directly with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in hopes of averting conflict.
{Matzav.com}