Top Iranian and American negotiators have resumed talks on Tehran's nuclear program, Reuters reports. Washington has hardened its position ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East.
Although both Tehran and Washington have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided. There are several red lines that negotiators must cross to reach a new nuclear deal and prevent future military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators. Araqchi pointed out that Iran has well-known positions based on clear principles. We hope to reach a decisive position at the meeting in Oman, he added.
Witkoff highlighted Tehran's uranium enrichment as a red line. According to him, if the meeting in Oman does not yield results, the United States will take a different path. Earlier, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with military action if diplomacy fails.
Tehran is ready to negotiate some restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions. But the suspension of its uranium enrichment program is among the red lines that cannot be compromised.
A senior Iranian official close to the negotiating team said that US demands for "zero enrichment and dismantling of Iran's nuclear facilities will not help advance the negotiations". According to him, what the US says publicly differs from what is said in negotiations.