Negotiations, which are expected to focus on uranium enrichment, begin in Oman, as Trump expresses careful optimism.
Iran and the US have launched third round talks in Oman, with the aim of suppressing Tehran’s nuclear activity.
Iranian state television confirmed negotiations are ongoing in Muscat on Saturday, but neither Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut nor US envoy Steve Witkov gave details of the talks they will lead.
The talks are seeking to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting some of the destructive economic sanctions the United States has imposed on the Islamic Republic for decades.
Iran shows it is eager to bail out sanctions as its economy continues to suffer.
US President Donald Trump was convinced that he would close a new agreement to block Iran’s path to nuclear bombs.
On his way to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, calling out Air Force 1, Trump expressed his cautious optimism.
“The situation in Iran is going very well,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of discussions with them. I think we’re going to trade. I’d rather trade rather than other alternatives. That’s good for humanity.”
But Trump reiterated, highlighting that if diplomacy fails, military options remain on the table, “There are people who want to make another kind of deal – a much more troublesome deal – and if they can avoid that, they don’t want to happen to Iran.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry told state TV that the state’s defense and missile programs were not discussed during negotiations in Oman.
“The problem with defense capabilities and the country’s missiles is not that [on the agenda] Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday.
The speech came a week after the second negotiations in Rome were described as constructive by both sides.
Tensions have remained high since Trump withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, prompting a series of escalations. Iran has since abandoned all the restrictions on its nuclear program and has enriched uranium to a purity of up to 60%.
Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons, Tehran has consistently denied it, claiming its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that Iran must halt uranium enrichment under the trade completely and import the enriched uranium needed to fuel Bussia, the only functional atomic energy plant.
However, Tehran says that ending the enrichment programme or abandoning the enriched uranium reserves is one of the “red lines of Iran that could not compromise” in consultations.
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