Iran-US third round of talks underway in Oman

Technical negotiations between Iran and the United States, involving experts from both nations, have commenced in the Omani capital, Muscat, with the primary objective of establishing a framework for discussing a potential agreement on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program.

Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, is leading Washington’s expert-level delegation, while Iranian deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi will lead Tehran’s.

According to reports, the technical negotiations will precede the high-level talks, establishing a foundation for the subsequent discussions.

The previous round of indirect talks between Iran and the US was held at the Embassy of Oman in Rome on April 19. Iran has emphasized that the success of the negotiations relies on the demonstration of goodwill, seriousness, and realism from the other party.

According to the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the Iranian delegation will adjust every step of the talks based on past experiences and the behavior of the US.

In a post on X on Friday evening, Esmaeil Baghaei said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his accompanying delegation have visited Muscat for the third round of Iran-US talks to be mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.

“We are resolved to secure our nation’s legitimate and lawful right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes while taking reasonable steps to demonstrate that our program is entirely peaceful,” he said.

“Termination of unlawful and inhumane sanctions in an objective and speedy manner is a priority that we seek to achieve,” the spokesman stated. “We’ll see how serious and prepared is the other side to go for a fair and realistic deal,” Baghaei noted.