US and Iran conclude 4th round of nuclear negotiations in Oman

Iran and the United States held a fourth round of negotiations on Sunday over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme, just ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump to the Middle East this week.

The talks ran for some three hours in Muscat, the capital of Oman, which has been mediating the negotiations, according to a US official. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said a decision on the next round of talks is under discussion.

Baghaei called the talks “difficult but useful”. The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, offered a little bit more, describing them as being both indirect and direct.

“Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements,” the US official said. “We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future.”

Iran insisted they only took place indirectly – possibly over internal political pressures within the Islamic Republic.

The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the US has imposed on the Islamic Republic, closing in on half a century of enmity.