Iran and the U.S. held a fourth round of negotiations Sunday over Tehran’s accelerating nuclear program, just days before President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the Middle East.
The talks, which lasted about three hours, took place in Muscat, the capital of Oman – a key mediator in the ongoing dialogue. A U.S. official confirmed the duration, while Iranian state television quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying discussions are underway regarding the timing of the next round.
Baghaei did not elaborate. The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, offered a bit more, describing them as both indirect and direct.
"Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements,” the U.S. official said. "We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future.”
The talks aim to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic, amid nearly half a century of enmity.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials have increasingly warned they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if it feels threatened – further complicating tensions in a region already inflamed by Tel Aviv's military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Iranian state television announced the talks had begun. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. side.
The negotiations were led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. While they have met face-to-face, most of the discussions appear to have been indirect, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi shuttling messages between the sides.
Iran has insisted that maintaining its uranium enrichment capability remains a red line for its theocracy. Witkoff complicated the issue by first suggesting in a television interview that Iran could enrich uranium to 3.67%, then later stating that all enrichment must end.
"An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again,” Witkoff told the right-wing Breitbart News in an interview published Friday. "That’s our red line. No enrichment. That means dismantlement, it means no weaponization, and it means that Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan – those are their three enrichment facilities – have to be dismantled.”
Araghchi, however, reiterated that enrichment remains a red line for Iran.
"This is a right of the Iranian people that is not up for negotiation or compromise. Enrichment is one of the achievements and honors of the Iranian nation,” Araghchi said Sunday before leaving Tehran. "A heavy price has been paid for this enrichment. The blood of our nuclear scientists has been shed for it. This is absolutely non-negotiable. That has been our clear stance that we have always voiced.”
Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers capped Tehran’s enrichment at 3.67% and limited its uranium stockpile to 300 kg. (661 pounds). That level is sufficient for nuclear power generation but well below the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade material.
Since the deal’s collapse in 2018 – following Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the accord – Iran has abandoned all limits on its program and has enriched uranium to as high as 60%, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. A series of attacks at sea and on land in recent years has further escalated tensions, even before the latest Gaza conflict erupted.
At home, Iran faces growing economic challenges, worsened by sanctions. Its troubled rial currency, once trading at more than 1 million to the dollar, has strengthened to around 830,000 to $1 amid renewed talks.
Still, the two sides appear far from reaching a deal as time runs short. Iranian media widely reported a two-month deadline imposed by Trump in a letter sent to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump said he wrote the letter on March 5, and it was delivered by an Emirati diplomat on March 12 – putting the theoretical deadline on Monday, as Trump departs Washington for visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Internally, Iran remains politically volatile. Rumors swirl about possible increases in subsidized gasoline prices – a move that has previously triggered nationwide protests.
Meanwhile, the last round of talks on April 26 coincided with an explosion at the Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iran, which killed dozens and injured more than 1,000. Authorities have yet to explain what caused the blast, which has been linked to a shipment of missile fuel components to Iran.