12 hours ago
6
Reuters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Muscat
Talks between the the United States and Iran over Iran's nuclear programme have begun in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state television his country wanted a "fair agreement".
US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a previous Obama-era nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2018, and has long said he would make a "better" deal. Until now Iran had rejected renegotiating the agreement.
It's not clear if the two sides will sit in the same room, but the talks are seen as an important first step to establish whether a deal can be done, with Saturday's meetings expected to focus on establishing a framework for negotiations.
Araghchi has repeatedly emphasised that indirect talks are best at this stage.
President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the US delegation, has only spoken of meeting face-to-face. But the most important issue is what kind of deal each side would accept. President Trump has only said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Iran hopes a deal to limit, but not dismantle, its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
"Our intention is to reach a fair and honourable agreement from an equal position, and if the other side also comes from the same position, then hopefully there will be a chance for an initial understanding that will lead to a path of negotiations," Araghchi said.
He added that the team that came with him was made up of experts "knowledgeable in this particular field and who have a history of negotiating on this issue".
US President Donald Trump last month sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader via the United Arab Emirates, saying he wanted a deal to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to avert possible military strikes by the US and Israel.
Reuters
Trump disclosed the upcoming talks during a visit to the White House on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Tuesday that both leaders had agreed "Iran will not have nuclear weapons".
Trump has warned the US would use military force if no deal was reached and Iran has repeatedly said it won't negotiate under pressure.
- What is Iran's nuclear programme and what does the US want?
- Iran says it is ready for nuclear deal if US stops military threats
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that this weekend's meeting in Oman would be "very big", also warning that it would "be a very bad day for Iran" if the talks were not successful.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and it will never seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
However, since Trump pulled out of the 2015 agreement - which expires later this year - Iran has increasingly breached restrictions imposed by the existing nuclear deal, in retaliation for crippling US sanctions reinstated seven years ago, and has stockpiled enough highly-enriched uranium to make several bombs.
