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US envoy Steve Witkov (left) and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci participated in the talks
Iran and the US have concluded first round of consultations in Oman on Tehran’s nuclear program, the highest level meeting between the two countries since 2018.
The two countries described the meeting as “constructive” and confirmed that the second round will take place next week. The US believes “direct communication” is the key to making transactions that are possible.
President Donald Trump has long said he will pull the US out of previous nuclear deals between Iran and the world’s greats in 2018 and will make a “better” deal.
Consultations are considered an important first step in establishing whether a transaction can be made.
It was two and a half hours, and the first meeting was reportedly short and respectful, setting the stage for the second round.
It was probably as good as Iranian and American officials would get when they sat in Muscat, Oman’s capital – the diplomat mediated mostly indirect negotiations.
They were the most important talks as Trump separated the US from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal during his first term in 2015.
The verdict of Iranian chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut, was positive.
“In my opinion, as the first meeting, it was a constructive meeting held in a very peaceful and respectful environment, because inappropriate language was not used,” he told Iranian TV.
His diplomatic tone suggests that the US team led by Trump’s mission has not repeated some of the president’s threats facing “great risk” if the dialogue was not successful. He repeatedly warns about possible military strikes.
This first meeting was held mainly with the delegation in separate rooms and conveyed the message through Omani Foreign Minister Bador bin Hamad al-Busadi.
Noting pressure from hardlines at home, Iran highlighted how limited their face-to-face exchanges were, and no photos were taken.
Witkov, who leads the US delegation, previously only spoke about face-to-face meetings.
However, Araghchi and Witkoff spoke for a few minutes in the presence of Al-Busaidi. What is the small but important opening, rather than a direct discussion that US officials say will occur.
In a statement following the talks, the White House said “the discussion was very positive and constructive,” while Witkov emphasized Iran that there is “instructions to resolve the differences between the enemy’s dialogue and diplomacy.”
“These issues are extremely complicated and Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward to achieving mutually beneficial results,” the statement added.
Araguchi told Iranian province television ahead of the argument that his country wanted a “fair agreement.”
After the talks have concluded, he said that next week’s debate may not occur in Oman, but will still be mediated by the state. The White House said the next meeting will take place on Saturday.
“Neither we nor our partners want to have fruitless negotiations, debate for discussion, waste time forever or talks for talk,” Araguc told Iranian state television.
Reuters
Indirect talks in Muscat were mediated by Badr bin Hamad al-Busadi (right) of Oman
The most important issue that is at risk is that each side is willing to accept it.
Last month, Trump wrote to Iran’s top leader via the United Arab Emirates, saying he wanted a contract to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and avoid a military strike by the US and Israel.
Iran hopes to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, but not dismantle it.
An unnamed Omani source told news agency Reuters that talks would try to eliminate tensions in the region and secure prisoner exchanges.
Trump has announced that talks will take place when Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Monday. The Israeli Prime Minister said Tuesday that both leaders agreed that Iran “does not have nuclear weapons.”
Reuters
Netanyahu previously said he and Trump agreed that Iran “does not have nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu is seeking a “Libyan-style contract” and referring to North African countries that have completely dismantled their arms programme in an agreement reached with the West in 2003, which would not be fully accepted by Iran.
Iran claims that its nuclear activities are completely peaceful and never seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
Iranian officials have made it clear that negotiations will focus solely on nuclear programs, rather than broader defense capabilities, such as nuclear situation programs.
Prior to talks, Trump said on Friday that Iran “wanted to be a wonderful, great, happy country, but he cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Trump warned that the US would use military force if the deal was not reached, and Iran repeatedly said it would not negotiate under pressure.
However, this process is under immeasurable pressure.
Even as preparations were underway to arrange this first meeting, the US moved more warships and stealth bombers into the area and imposed more sanctions.
The US president told reporters in the oval office that if the meeting fails, it would be “a very bad day for Iran.”
Iran claims that its nuclear activities are completely peaceful and never seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
But since Trump emerged from the 2015 deal, which expires later this year, Iran has increasingly violated restrictions imposed by existing nuclear deals on retaliation for US sanctions that were revived seven years ago, stockpiling uranium highly abundant to make some bombs.
Under the terms of the 2015 trade, Iran has agreed to enrich its purity by up to 3.67% over the next 15 years.
In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog reported that Tehran stockpiles uranium enriched to 60% purity and can quickly move to 90%.
The 2015 nuclear deal required nearly two years of intensive negotiations. At the start of this new initiative to reach an agreement, Iranian programmes are much more developed and complex, and the wider regions are much more unstable.
