Envoys from Iran and the United States have agreed to continue talks aimed at curbing Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, following an initial meeting on April 12.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi largely spoke indirectly in a first exchange that was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.
Witkoff and Araghchi also briefly spoke with one another face-to-face, according to a statement published by Iranian state television, an event that marks the first direct talks between the two nations since the Obama administration.
The next round of talks is slated to take place in one week, on April 19.
The first exchange took place over the course of two hours at a location on the outskirts of the Omani capital of Muscat.
Araghchi also described the meeting as constructive in an interview with Iranian state television, saying there were four rounds of messages exchanged during the indirect portion.
“I think we are very close to a basis for negotiations and if we can conclude this basis next week, we’ll have gone a long way and will be able to start real discussions based on that,” he said.
“Neither we nor the other side are interested in fruitless negotiations … Both sides, including the Americans, have said that their goal is also to reach an agreement in the shortest possible time.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on social media shortly beforehand that the initial meeting would provide a forum for the two sides to establish their views and positions on various matters.
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, likewise wrote in a post on X that Tehran had prepared “Important and practical” proposals to begin negotiations over its nuclear program.
“If Washington comes to the talks with sincere intentions and genuine will to reach an agreement, the path to a deal will be clear and smooth,” Shamkhani said.
The White House similarly issued a statement describing the talks as “very positive and constructive.”
“Special Envoy Witkoff underscored to Dr. Araghchi that he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible,” the White House statement said. “These issues are very complicated, and Special Envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome.”
President Donald Trump has made preventing Tehran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon a priority of his foreign policy platform.
Since then, Trump has doubled down on his stance that the United States “can’t let them [Iran] have a nuclear weapon,” and has threatened to use military action against Iran if a deal is not reached.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing, and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” Trump wrote in a March 30 social media post.
While the U.S. side can now offer sanctions relief for Iran’s beleaguered economy and prisoner exchanges, it remains unclear just how much Iran will be willing to concede, given its hostility towards the United States and close U.S. ally Israel.
There is some concern now that the regime could accelerate the creation of a nuclear warhead within a short period of time.
To that end, a report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog released early in the year suggested that Iran had accelerated its production of near-weapons-grade uranium to such an extent that Tehran could likely produce about half a dozen warheads if it so chose.
