The United States was expected to begin to haggle about the details of a possible nuclear agreement in Oman on Saturday, April 26, since they entered their third round of conversations in so many weeks. The special envoy of the United States Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, are again leading the discussions, whose time included a technical level meeting between both sides.
The conversations are destined to hit a new agreement so that Iran will develop nuclear weapons, an objective that Tehran denies pursued, in exchange for relief of paralyzing sanctions. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, withdrew from an anterior multilateral agreement duration of his first term in office.
Araghchi has expressed “cautious optimism” about the process, saying this week: “If the only demand from the United States is that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, this demand can be achieved.” But if Washington had “little practical or illogical demands, we will naturally find problems,” he added.
Michael Anton, Chief of Policies Planning of the State Department, will direct the Washington Expert Level Delegation, while the Ministers of Attached Kazem Gharibadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi will lead Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency of Iran.
Iranian State TV reported that the conversations began around the time of the Odaní medium. The Irna state agency said that, although only one day of conversations was scheduled, “since the negotiations have entered technical discussions and expert level and the examination of details … (they) can extend if necessary.”
Trump ‘would prefer the deal’
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, in an interview published Friday by Time The magazine reiterated its threat of military action if an agreement failed. But he added that “I would see a treatment that the bombs.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Friday that the new conversations, such as the previous rounds in Muscat and Rome on the last two Saturdays, would be mediated by Foreign Minister Omaní, Badr Albusaidi.
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Negotiations are the highest level among enemies for a long time since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the historical 2015 agreement that gave Iran sanctions in exchange for curbs in his nuclear program.
Since he returned to office in January, Trump has restored its “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Tehran. In March, he wrote to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatolá Ali Khamenei proposing conversations, but also warning or possible military action if diplomacy failed.
On Tuesday, Washington announced new sanctions aimed at the Iranian oil network, a movement that Tehran described as “hostile” before Saturday’s conversations.
Western nations, including the United States, have long accused Iran or who seek to develop nuclear weapons, an accusation that Tehran has constantly denied. Iran argues that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
On Wednesday, the UN Nuclear Surveillance Chief Rafael Grossi asked Iran to explain the tunnels built near his Natanz nuclear site, seen in satellite images published by the International Science and Security Institute.
The group of experts based in Washington also pointed out the construction of a new security perimeter. “We ask them, what is it for? Tehran had no immediate comments.
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