Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff led the delegations. Technical experts also held talks over Iran’s nuclear program and what a deal would look like. “Today’s third round of talks, in Muscat, were positive and productive. This latest round of direct and indirect discussions lasted over four hours. There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal. We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks,” a senior administration official said. Experts have described the third round of talks as a more difficult phase of technical negotiations as Washington lays out its conditions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there are “still differences in major issues and in details” and said they are “hopeful but cautious” about coming to an agreement. “This was a very calm and organized environment to facilitate conversations. The negotiations this time were much more serious than previous ones; we engaged in conversations that were more detailed, more expert-level level and more technical. The expert conversations also went well,” Araghchi said on Saturday.

Iran and the United States held their third round of nuclear talks Saturday, April 26, in Muscat, the capital of Oman. The discussions, described by The Associated Press as “in-depth,” were the first to include high-level experts from both countries. While neither Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi nor his U.S. counterpart, Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, commented on the talks, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi announced on X that the two sides have “identified a shared aspiration” to reach an agreement.

“The President has been clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or enrichment program,” a spokesman for Witkoff told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. “As we continue to talk, we expect to refine a framework and timetable for working towards a deal that achieves the President’s objectives peacefully.” Araghchi spoke highly of the Saturday meeting between delegations. “We succeeded in reaching a better understanding on certain principles and goals,” he told Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “The negotiations were conducted in a constructive atmosphere and are progressing.” The Iranians aim to reach “a comprehensive agreement based on nine principles: seriousness, guarantees, balance, lifting sanctions, not the Libya/UAE model, avoiding threats, speed, eliminating aggressive elements (such as Israel), and facilitating investment,” Ali Shamkhani, a top aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Saturday on X. “Iran came for a balanced agreement, not surrender,” he said, noting the Iranian team had “full authority” to enter into such an arrangement. Last week’s discussions — which saw the US and Iran speaking from separate rooms through mediators — happened in Oman, which is friendly to both sides. Saturday’s talks were held at the Omani ambassador’s house in Rome’s diplomatic quarter. Witkoff this week said the US seeks a full end to Iran’s nuclear program.