Tehran, Iran – US and Iranian representatives have agreed to hold more talks next week after completing “indirect” nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman’s capital.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the talks on Saturday were “constructively based on a constructive atmosphere and mutual respect,” and the chief negotiator “speaked for a few minutes in front of the Omani Foreign Minister while leaving the negotiation venue.”
Envoy Steve Witkov led the US delegation, while the Iranians were led by Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut. He was accompanied by Majid Tak Ravanchi, vice-chairman of political affairs, Kazem Galibabadi, vice-chairman of international affairs, and Esmail Baghhai, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Oman Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busadi, acting as the head of the mediator, received a message between the delegation sitting in another room.
The White House issued a statement that the speech was “positive and constructive.” “These issues are very complicated and Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward to achieving mutually beneficial results,” he said, adding that he “consented to meet again next Saturday.”
Trump and his officials had claimed that the talks were “direct” and “in the same room,” but Tehran emphasized that negotiations were indirect.
Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bayes cited a source close to negotiations where both parties were asked to create a position paper, laying out areas that they think are important for discussion and their red lines.
Iran emphasizes that the talks will focus on nuclear programs rather than on the “axis of resistance” of its military capabilities and the matching forces across the region.
Shortly before the talks, US President Donald Trump once again warned Tehran of military action if the deal was not reached.
“I want them to not have nuclear weapons. I want Iran to be a great, great and happy country, but they can’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump told Air Force reporters on his way to Florida Friday night.
White House spokesman Caroline Levitt also repeated the Trump administration’s favourite refrain, saying that if the president’s demands are not met, “there is all hell to pay.”
“It was very clear that Iran would never have nuclear weapons, and I think that led to this meeting,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday.
“Real Fair” deal
Iran and its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed that the US is unreliable and should not sit directly with US officials as Iran unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 during his first term as president.
It remains unclear whether the second round of consultations will take place in person, similar to the mediated negotiations on Saturday, or will be carried out.
Before discussions, Senior Assistant Chief Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, said Tehran wanted a “really fair” agreement with Washington.
“With just a show or speaking in front of the camera, Tehran is seeking a realistic and fair agreement.
The 2015 agreement saw severe restrictions on research and development in exchange for Iran’s uranium enrichment, nuclear material stockpiling, and lifting UN sanctions.
The US still had the toughest sanctions after abolishing the deal in 2018. These sanctions were only exacerbated by Trump’s successor Joe Biden, causing a major blow to the economy and 90 million Iranians.
Iran’s currency continues to maintain its record low rate range as a result of external pressure and inadequate local control, but after consultations have ended without collapse, it has regained some lost position and demonstrated market enthusiasm for trading.
The 2015 agreement, namely the European powers of France, Britain and Germany, are imposing sanctions on Iran due to nuclear advances in the aftermath of Trump’s withdrawal and tensions over the Russian-Ukraine war.
The European Union said on Friday that “no alternative to diplomacy,” but Germany urged both sides to reach a “diplomatic solution.”
Other signatories of the contract, China and Russia, are opposed to Western efforts to pressure Iran through a denunciation solution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They have developed closer political and military ties with Tehran.
Iran warned that if Western countries successfully pose their threat, it would abandon the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and expel all remaining IAEA nuclear inspectors.
Trump and his officials, along with Israeli supreme leaders, repeatedly warned that if they disagree with their demands for the nuclear program, Iran would be bombed widely. Israel remains the biggest opponent of Iran and the US’s future agreement.
US and Israeli leaders have proposed that if negotiations fail, private infrastructure such as major nuclear facilities, refineries and power plants will be attacked.
On Thursday, Washington imposed additional sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil network and nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with Trump about the so-called “Libyan model” to address Iran’s nuclear program. In other words, he is seeking complete dismantling and surrendering of all nuclear capabilities.
However, Tehran continues to be rebellious, claiming that the nuclear knowledge and development acquired over decades will not be bombed or destroyed.
Its nuclear program claims that it is strictly peaceful and for civil use, such as the generation and production of radioactive drugs, but senior officials have shown that Iranian facilities can seek bombs if they face “existent threats.”
The Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) are holding large-scale exercises and testing a variety of defensive and offensive weapons in an attempt to strengthen and prepare for long conflicts when necessary.
