Iran and the United States have kicked off another round of nuclear talks in Muscat on Sunday.
“The fourth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States began a few minutes ago in Muscat, with the mediation of Oman," Iranian media reported.
Top Iranian and US negotiators will address disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme, in a push for progress as Washington hardens its stance ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit on Ma13 to 16.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, including Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, despite Washington taking a tough stance in public that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.
The fourth round of negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing "logistical reasons".
American officials believe the talks will include both indirect and direct portions, as in previous rounds of negotiations, but like the other rounds in Muscat and Rome, details remain scarce.
Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.
According to AP, while Araghchi and Witkoff have met and spoken face-to-face in the talks, but the majority of the negotiations appear to have been indirect, with al-Busaidi shuttling messages between the two sides.
Thin red line
Iran has insisted that keeping its ability to enrich uranium is a red line for the country.
On Thursday, Witkoff muddied the issue by first suggesting in a television interview that Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67 percent, then later saying that all enrichment must stop.
The talks seek to limit the nuclear programme in exchange for lifting some economic sanctions imposed by the US
Speaking to Breitbart News, Witkoff said that Washington’s red line is: “No enrichment. That means dismantlement, no weaponisation,” requiring the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
“If they are not productive on Sunday, then they won’t continue and we’ll have to take a different route,” Witkoff said about the talks.
Reacting to Witkoff’s comments, Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran would not compromise on its nuclear rights, which includes uranium enrichment.
Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment programme or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among “Iran’s red lines that could not be compromised” in the talks.
Before leaving for Muscat, Araghchi told Iranian state TV that “Iran has well-known positions based on clear principles... We hope to reach a decisive stance in Sunday’s meeting”. He added that Iran’s expert team was in Oman and “will be consulted if necessary”.
According to the minister, Tehran’s right to enrich uranium was “non-negotiable”. “Enrichment capability is one of the honours and achievements of the Iranian nation,” said Araghchi in a video before he left for the talks, adding that it was “non-negotiable”.
