Representatives of the USA and Iran met for a fourth round of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear energy program in Muscat, Oman on Sunday.
"Tough but useful talks to better understand each other's positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to handle the differences", writes Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, on X.
The talks lasted for three hours, according to an American government source.
"An agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working on the technical parts", says the source, according to the AP news agency.
"We are encouraged by today's results and look forward to our next meeting", the statement continues.
Enrichment Red Line
The delegations are led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Araghchi repeats in Iranian state TV his previous message that Iran's right to enrich uranium is a red line.
Enrichment must continue and there is no room for compromise on that, he says, and adds that Iran can still be open to limiting enrichment:
To build trust.
Mainly, the negotiations take place through Oman's Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi mediating, but just like on previous occasions, there were also some direct contacts according to the Americans.
"The talks included useful and innovative ideas that reflected a shared desire to reach an honorable agreement. The fifth round of talks will take place when both parties have consulted their leadership", says al-Busaidi in a post on X.
Threats from Trump
The goal of the talks is for Iran to agree to limit its nuclear energy program – as a guarantee that the country will not develop nuclear weapons – in exchange for sanctions relief. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened with airstrikes against Iran if no agreement is reached.
Iran and the US have been holding nuclear energy talks since April 12. It is the highest level of talks between the countries since a previous agreement between Iran and the Western world collapsed in 2018, under President Donald Trump's first term.
