Tehran, IRNA – Iran and the United States have begun their fourth round of indirect negotiations in the Omani capital, Muscat, focusing on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions on Tehran.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven Witkoff are leading the two delegations in the talks on Sunday.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi has been acting as an intermediary.
Earlier, Araqchi met with his Omani counterpart and expressed gratitude to Al Busaidi and the Omani government for hosting and facilitating the Iran-U.S. talks.
The senior Iranian diplomat also reiterated the Islamic Republic’s principled stance on the negotiations.
Before departing for Muscat, Araqchi told reporters in Tehran that uranium enrichment is a national achievement attained at great cost, including the sacrifices of nuclear scientists, and is therefore unequivocally non-negotiable.
He expressed hope that this round of talks would proceed constructively, emphasizing that negotiation-related matters should be addressed at the discussion table rather than through media outlets.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that the talks commenced immediately after the Iranian delegation arrived at the venue.
He noted that, as in previous rounds, the top Omani diplomat has been shuttling messages between the two sides.
Iran’s delegation includes experts from various fields, as Araqchi has emphasized that the technical team deployed in Muscat can be consulted if needed.
The negotiations follow previous rounds that began on April 12, marking the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the latter withdrew from a landmark agreement in 2018.
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