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U.S. Holds Fourth Round of Nuclear Talks With Iran in Oman Ahead of Trump's Mideast Trip
- Reuters and Haaretz
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials. However, Iran says that ending its enrichment program or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among 'Iran's red lines that could not be compromised'
The U.S. government's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had a fourth round of direct and indirect discussions with Iran in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday.
According to a senior U.S. administration official speaking on condition of anonymity, they discussed "technical elements" of a nuclear deal. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to hold another meeting in the near future, the official said.
U.S. officials are "encouraged" by the outcome of the fourth round of talks, the official said.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson called the negotiations "difficult but useful," in a post on X.
Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, despite Washington's public tough stance that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.
Since the previous round of negotiations in April, U.S. President Donald Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz from his current post, and instead nominated him as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
According to a report by the Washington Post, President Donald Trump's decision to dismiss National Security Advisor Michael Waltz was partially driven by his anger over Waltz's alleged private talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about striking Iran.
According to senior officials, Trump was upset that after Netanyahu visited the White House in February, the U.S. national security advisor appeared to align with Netanyahu's position that "the time was ripe to strike Iran," according to the report.
Sources told the Washington Post that Waltz "engaged in intense coordination with Netanyahu about military options against Iran" before the meeting between the Israeli leader and Trump. This coordination reportedly frustrated the president.
Netanyahu denied the report, saying in a post on X that he had two meetings with Waltz while in Washington, both in the presence of other White House officials, and never spoke with Waltz privately about Iran.
Witkoff told Breitbart News on Thursday that Washington's red line is "No enrichment. That means dismantlement, no weaponization," requiring the complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
"If they are not productive on Sunday, then they won't continue, and we'll have to take a different route," Witkoff said in the interview.
Trump, who has threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails, will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday to Friday.
Reacting to Witkoff's comments, Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran would not compromise on its nuclear rights.
"Iran continues negotiations in good faith ... if the aim of these talks is to limit Iran's nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights," Araghchi said.
Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials. However, ending its enrichment program or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among "Iran's red lines that could not be compromised" in the talks.
A senior Iranian official close to the negotiating team said that U.S. demands for "zero enrichment and dismantling Iran's nuclear sites would not help in progressing the negotiations."
"What the U.S. says publicly differs from what is said in negotiations," the official said on condition of anonymity.
He said matters would become clearer when talks on Sunday take place. They were initially planned for May 3 in Rome but postponed due to what Oman described as "logistical reasons."
Moreover, Iran has flatly ruled out negotiating its ballistic missile program, and the clerical establishment demands watertight guarantees that Trump would not again ditch a nuclear pact.
The previous round of negotiations in April began shortly after an explosion in an Iranian port in the city of Bandar Abbas reportedly wounded hundreds.
A day after the explosion occurred and talks with the U.S. took place, Iran repelled a large cyber attack on its infrastructure, according to the head of its Infrastructure Communications Company.
Iran has in the past accused Israel of being behind cyber attacks. Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran's nuclear infrastructure should be entirely dismantled, not just limited to preventing the development of nuclear weapons.
Trump, who has restored a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran since February, exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.
(c) 2025, Haaretz
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