expert meetings and talks between the iranian foreign minister and the us president's special representative held today, saturday.
the us experts and technical is headed by michael anton, one of the senior advisors to us president donald trump.
a team consisting of the us state department and the treasury also accompany anton.
the iranian technical and experts team is headed by kazem gharibabadi and majid takht ravanchi, two senior deputy foreign ministers.
this is the first round of technical and experts talks between iran and the us, which will be indirect.
also the third round of iran-us talks are being held, chaired by seyyed abbas araqchi and steve witkoff, with the mediation of oman's foreign minister.
the first and second rounds of these talks were held in muscat and rome, respectively.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed reporters after talks with US delegation in the Omani capital on Saturday, saying today's third round was held in a more serious atmosphere.
He said, "The negotiations were much more serious this time than in the past, and we entered into some technical discussions. The expert discussion was useful."
He added, "The negotiations are indirect, technical discussions require their own precision, and mainly positions were exchanged in written form. They had questions, we answered them. Overall, the negotiation atmosphere was serious. We took a little distance from the big discussions, but this does not mean that we have differences.There are differences in both the big issues and the details."
Araghchi noted, "Until the next meeting, more studies are to be conducted in the capitals to reduce the differences. It was evident that the two sides entered into a serious relationship. We hope that progress can be made, and this hope is extremely cautious."
He noted: The next round will be on Saturday, and the details and location will be determined by the host government, which is Oman. At this current level, it will be with the presence of myself and Whittaker, accompanied by experts.
He said, "We have reached a point where the discussions are more technical than nuclear. As we move forward, we will add relevant experts based on the issues."
In response to the question of whether the agenda could change, Araqchi said, “By no means, our issue is nuclear and we are not negotiating any other issue. Nuclear and sanctions go hand in hand. We are only negotiating on this issue and we are not accepting any other issue. This issue has been observed by both sides in the past three rounds.”
He added: “When I say the negotiation atmosphere was serious, it means that both sides showed their will to progress. But sometimes will alone is not enough. The differences may be so serious that they cannot be resolved. That is, will alone does not guarantee success. Success is achieved when the opinions of both sides are met.”
Araqchi emphasized, “Some of our differences are serious and difficult. Some are less serious. There are many nuances. Past experiences help us to move faster.” But I think our progress so far has been good. We are at a point in the third round of negotiations where we would not have been able to reach this stage so quickly if there had been other negotiations. Past experience helps us reach a conclusion more quickly. I am satisfied with the process of the negotiation and its speed. The process is good and satisfactory."
The Iranian Foreign Minister concluded by saying: Regarding the atmosphere of the negotiations, it is a good atmosphere and there is seriousness. There is will on the other side and we also have full will. But can an agreement be reached? I hope so, but cautiously."
A US media outlet has announced that Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration's representative in negotiations with Iran, traveled to Abu Dhabi after nuclear talks with Iran in Muscat.
After the third round of Iran-US talks in Muscat, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said, "Today's talks between Iran and the US underscored the shared desire to reach an agreement based on mutual respect and lasting commitments. Basic principles, objectives and technical concerns were all discussed. The talks will continue next week, and a high-level meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 3."
According to Tabnak reporter, the third round of Iran-US talks in Muscat, Oman, has ended and delegations are returning to their capitals for consultations.
The talks have now reached the stage of making demands on each other, which requires consultations with the capitals. Accordingly, the delegations are returning to their capitals for consultations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on his social media: "The indirect Iran-US talks are continuing in a serious atmosphere. The parties are exchanging their views on both areas of effective lifting of sanctions and confidence-building measures regarding the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and protecting Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy through the Omani side."
According to British media, after attending the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, Lammy will visit Oman on Saturday for the first time since he became foreign secretary.
He will also visit Qatar and hold talks with its leaders about boosting trade with Britain.
Ahead of the visit, Lammy said London’s relationship with the Persian Gulf “continues to go from strength to strength.”
The third round of negotiations between Iran and the United States kicked off in Muscat, Oman, on Satur
Speaking to reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei announced that the third round of indirect Iran-US talks is being held in separate halls as previous two rounds, with the facilitation of the Omani host and the presence of the heads of the Iranian and US delegations.
Baghaei added that the Iranian technical-expert delegation headed by the deputy political and legal-international ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also present at the talks and is busy with its duties, consisting of experienced experts in the field of sanctions, including economic-banking specialists, and experts related to the nuclear field and interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized that Iran is steadfast in its principled positions regarding the necessity of ending the oppressive sanctions and its readiness to build confidence regarding the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
Baghaei noted that experience has proven that achieving an understanding requires respect for Iran's legitimate rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and assurances about the effective end of sanctions.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman denied media rumors and announced that the issue of defense and missile capabilities was not and is not being raised in the negotiations.
"Esmail Baghaei," the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, denied the claims of some Western media outlets and emphasized that the issue of the country's defense and missile capabilities was not and is not being raised in the indirect negotiations with the United States.
Earlier, the Ruters had claimed, citing "an informed Iranian official," that "Iran's missile program will be a bigger problem on the path to an agreement with the United States in the negotiations on Saturday than uranium enrichment."
Iran has repeatedly stated that the negotiations with the United States are solely about the nuclear issue.
CNN reported that Saturday's talks could be more complicated because they will address the technical details of Iran's nuclear program, an area that remains a source of deep disagreement between Tehran and Washington.
The network said that Washington has now explicitly stated its conditions, which will push the talks into a more difficult phase.
One of the important issues that appears to be likely to disrupt the progress of the talks is the recent stances of American officials on the issue of uranium enrichment in Iran.
Tabnak reporter in Muscat says the most important issue which will be disscussed between Iranian and the US delegations is Iran's uranium enrichment right.
According to him, some western media say the US side says Iran must stop enrichment. Meanwhile Iran has repeatedly announced that enrichment is its red line which must be recognized by the US.
