The US and Iran are meeting in Oman today for a third round of important talks on the Iranian nuclear issue after previous meetings that the two countries, enemies for four decades, described as constructive.
The negotiations, which are being conducted with the mediation of Oman, follow on from the indirect negotiations held on April 12 in Muscat and then on April 19 in Rome.
Tehran and Washington have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.
These negotiations are the first at this level since the US withdrew in 2018, under the first term of President Donald Trump, from an international agreement concluded three years earlier, under which Iran's nuclear program was to be limited in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will lead high-level talks in Oman today, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi serving as a mediator, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said.
A session of technical negotiations between experts is scheduled to precede the high-level talks. The talks will begin at around 10.30:XNUMX CET, according to Iranian state television, which did not say whether it was a technical meeting or a meeting of senior officials.
The two countries described the meeting held on April 19 as "good", and spokesman Bagai said yesterday that "good will, seriousness and realism from both sides" were needed for the negotiations to progress.
Western countries, led by the US and Israel, suspect that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons. Iran rejects these allegations, claiming that it has the right to nuclear development for civilian purposes, especially for energy.
Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has relaunched his policy of what he called "maximum pressure" on Iran and called in March for negotiations on a new agreement while at the same time threatening to bomb the country if diplomacy fails.
In comments published in Time magazine yesterday, Trump said he was willing to meet with Iran's supreme leader or the country's president. Washington announced new sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector on Tuesday, and Tehran condemned the "hostile approach."
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