The United States and Iran concluded a third round of indirect negotiations on Thursday over Tehran’s nuclear program, with technical-level talks scheduled for next week in Vienna, Oman’s foreign minister said.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been “significant progress” in the negotiations.
He added that U.S. and Iranian officials would meet again at the technical level to advance discussions.
The talks come against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions and fears of wider conflict. The United States has deployed a significant number of aircraft and warships to the Middle East, while Iran last week conducted military exercises that briefly disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments.
White House Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has represented the United States in all three rounds of negotiations.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Thursday’s session as among the “most intense and longest rounds of negotiations.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has given Tehran a 10- to 15-day deadline to agree to a deal that would guarantee Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. Washington has not yet publicly assessed the outcome of the latest round of talks.
A key sticking point remains Iran’s long-range missile program, which Tehran has resisted including in the negotiations despite U.S. demands.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
