Muscat – Saba:
The third round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States began on Saturday in the Omani capital, Muscat.
The Iranian delegation is headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and the American delegation is headed by Steve Witkoff, the US President's Special Envoy to the Middle East.
The first round of these talks took place in Muscat, followed by the second round in Rome.
According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, the third round of negotiations is scheduled to be divided into two parts: the first is political, led by Araqchi and Witkoff, and the second is technical negotiations at the expert level.
Participating from the Iranian side are Kazem Gharibabadi, Assistant for Legal and International Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Political Assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister. The American team will be headed by Michael Anton.
Iran reiterated on Friday that the talks are indirect, similar to the previous two rounds.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that the negotiations are taking place "in separate rooms, as in the previous two rounds, facilitated by the Omani host and attended by the heads of the Iranian and American delegations."
This round of negotiations is scheduled to last one day. However, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported that "however, given that the negotiations will focus on technical issues, experts, and examining details, they may be extended if necessary."
This week, Araqchi expressed "cautious optimism," saying, "If the United States' only demand is that Iran not possess nuclear weapons, then this demand is achievable." He added, "If they have other demands, or demands that are impractical or unreasonable, then we will naturally face problems."
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Iran's defense and missile programs are not up for discussion during the negotiations.
Baghaei stated, "The issue of Iran's defense and missile capabilities is not on the agenda, and it was not raised in the indirect talks with the United States."
Iran and the United States said that the round of negotiations held last Saturday at the Omani ambassador's residence in Rome resulted in "progress." Tehran described the meeting as "good."
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