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DUBAI, 11 May 2025, Reutersreports – Iran and the United States concluded the fourth round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday. Both sides announced plans to continue the dialogue after coordination with their respective capitals. The Omani-mediated talks were aimed at resolving longstanding disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme, but highlighted deep differences, particularly over uranium enrichment.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the talks “more serious and frank” than previous rounds, expressing hope for progress. “We understand each other better,” Araqchi said on state television, stressing that uranium enrichment is a fundamentally unyielding position for Tehran, although its volume and level can be adjusted to build confidence.
Instead, US Representative Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said that Washington’s “red line” is a complete ban on uranium enrichment and the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. “No enrichment. That means dismantling, no weapons,” Witkoff told Breitbart News.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on Platform X that the talks included “useful and original” ideas, adding that the next round would take place after the parties consulted with their governments.
Trump’s visit to the Middle East
The talks took place on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East, which will begin on 13 May. Trump, who has threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails, resumed a campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran after returning to the White House in January.
Iran is willing to discuss certain restrictions on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, but the suspension of uranium enrichment or the transfer of enriched uranium stockpiles are “red lines” that Tehran is not ready to cross, Iranian officials have said.
A senior Iranian official close to the negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that US demands for “zero enrichment and dismantling of nuclear facilities” were not helping progress. “What the US is saying publicly is different from what is being discussed in the talks,” he added.
Iran has also categorically rejected negotiations on its ballistic missile programme and has demanded credible assurances that Trump will not pull out of a possible new nuclear deal, as he did in 2018, tearing up the 2015 agreement and reimposing harsh sanctions that have hit Iran’s economy.
Since 2019, Iran has been violating the restrictions of the 2015 agreement by significantly accelerating uranium enrichment to 60%, which is close to 90%, the level suitable for nuclear weapons, according to the IAEA.
