The indirect talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff today in Rome lasted for four hours, with both sides saying they were productive. A technical meeting will take place on April 23 to discuss the terms of a potential deal on nuclear issues, and a follow-up meeting involving Witkoff and Araghchi will be held in Oman next Saturday, April 26.
The Omani Foreign Ministry posted a statement saying that the two sides are seeking a deal that guarantees Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, but maintains its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy. “These talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible”: Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said in a statement on social media thanking Araghchi and Witkoff “for their highly constructive approach” to the Omani-mediated discussions in Rome today.
Al Jazeera also noted that the Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, before the meeting, said he had “serious misgivings about the U.S., whether they were serious, what their intent was, what they wanted out of this, did they want Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear programme—that would have been a deal breaker and could have collapsed the whole process.” But after the meeting his view was much more positive.
