Muscat – Iran and the United States agreed to hold another round of negotiations next week on Tehran’s nuclear programme following preliminary talks in Muscat on Saturday.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al Busaidi thanked the Iranian and US officials for engaging in a “process of dialogue” aimed at concluding a “fair agreement”. In a post on X, he said the exchanges took place in a “friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security and stability”.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the first round of talks in Muscat were held in ‘a constructive atmosphere and based on mutual respect’.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while US side was led by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy. 

The Iranian ministry added that after over two-and-a-half hours of indirect talks, Araghchi and Witkoff ‘spoke for several minutes in the presence’ of H E Sayyid Badr ‘while leaving the negotiations venue’.

No overall agreement was expected immediately, as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the current round of talks with the US in Oman wouldn’t possibly take long.

“This is a start, therefore it is only natural that the sides exchange their fundamental principles [only] via the Omani intermediary at this stage. Thus, we don’t expect this round to take long,” Baqaei stated.

The talks, the first in years between the two countries, were held indirectly through Omani intermediaries.

Baqaei said in a post on X that the Iranian and US negotiators had been stationed in separate rooms and were exchanging messages via H E Sayyid Badr.

Iran said it was giving diplomacy a ‘genuine chance’ if the US demonstrates resolve and goodwill.

The negotiations, which Tehran insists will remain indirect, are aimed at reaching a new agreement to replace the one the US abandoned during Trump’s first term in office.

Tehran rejected Trump’s proposal for direct negotiations because of his so-called ‘maximum pressure’ campaign and threats of military action against Iran.