US, Iran hold detailed talks, signalling progress on nuclear deal

Iran and the US held more detailed discussions aimed at reaching a potential deal over Tehran’s nuclear program, the Islamic Republic’s top diplomat said on Saturday.

Muscat talks

“This round of negotiations was much more serious than before,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV after the third round of talks in Oman’s capital, Muscat. “We gradually entered more detailed, technical discussions.”

The discussions stretched over five hours, marking the longest meeting between Iranian and US officials since Oman-mediated talks began this month. The delegations agreed to reconvene next week for a fourth time, Araghchi said, without confirming the venue.

Araghchi, who leads Iran’s negotiating team opposite his US counterpart Steve Witkoff, said he was satisfied with the pace and progress of the discussions, but cautioned that key differences remain.

Success not guaranteed

“Sometimes willpower alone isn’t enough, and the differences may be so serious that an agreement can’t be reached,” he said. “Determination alone doesn’t guarantee success.”

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who facilitated the ongoing talks, said in a post on X the two countries had “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments,” adding that “core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed.”

Earlier, Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said the talks took place in a “serious atmosphere.” He said economic, banking, and nuclear experts were involved in discussions focused on building trust around Tehran’s nuclear program, safeguarding Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and securing relief from sanctions.

The latest talks came amid optimism about the possibility of a new deal. In an interview published by Time magazine on Friday, President Donald Trump said Israel could decide for itself whether to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, but added that his administration could “make a deal without the attack,” noting he’d “much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.”

Trump also said he’d be open to meeting Iran’s president or its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to whom he wrote last month urging negotiations on a new agreement.

Cautious optimism

On Wednesday, Araghchi said the talks were on the “right track” and that he was “cautiously optimistic” about progress. He added that a good deal could be reached if the US avoided “unrealistic and impossible demands.”

Trump has pledged that he won’t allow Iran to develop or obtain nuclear weapons, seeking to negotiate a new agreement to replace the 2015 deal he withdrew from during his first term in office.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes while maintaining that its ability to enrich uranium is non-negotiable.