Iran and the United States have begun talks in Oman over Teheran’s nuclear programme – the highest level meeting between the two nations since 2018.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state television his country wanted a “fair agreement”, with his spokesperson saying he did not expect talks to last long.
President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2018, and has long said he would make a “better” deal.
It is unclear if the two delegations will sit in the same room, but the talks are seen as an important first step to establishing whether a deal can be done, as well as a framework for negotiations.
Araghchi has repeatedly emphasised that indirect talks were best at this stage.
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.
Trump sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader via the United Arab Emirates last month, saying he wanted a deal to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to avert possible military strikes by the US and Israel.
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”.
An unnamed source in Oman told the news agency Reuters that the talks would also seek to de-escalate regional tensions and secure prisoner exchanges.
Trump disclosed the upcoming talks during a visit by Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Monday. The Israeli prime minister said on Tuesday that both leaders had agreed “Iran will not have nuclear weapons”.
Trump has warned that the US would use military force if a deal was not reached, and Iran has repeatedly said it will not negotiate under pressure.
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that this weekend’s meeting in Oman would be “very big”, while also warning that it would “be a very bad day for Iran” if the talks were unsuccessful.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that 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.
Witkoff has also been involved in peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Friday.
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