Iran, USA agrees to extend conversations to 'constructive' meetings

Iran said the first formal discussions with US President Donald Trump’s administration on his nuclear program were “constructive”, and the two parties said they would meet again in a week. The two parties discussed Iran’s nuclear program and the upliftment of sanctions ‘in a constructive atmosphere and with mutual respect’, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after indirect discussions in Oman who lasted more than two hours. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and American special envoy Steve Witkoff met briefly and spoke to the talks, according to the statement. The discussions were ‘very positive and constructive’, while the issues that are ‘very complicated’, the White House said in a statement. Witkoff told Araghchi “that he had instructions from President Trump to solve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if possible,” according to the US. Saturday’s meetings were the first top-level talks by the US and Iran since 2022, which has been a renewed attempt to resolve years of stance on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump repeatedly said he wanted an agreement or would use military action, while Tehran said it would not respond to threats and would only agree to indirect discussions. Araghchi told the Iranian state television that the delegation plan to meet again on April 19, which confirmed the White House statement. The discussions can be held in another place, with Oman continuing to serve as a facilitator, Araghchi said. “As a first meeting, it was a constructive session held in a peaceful and very reverent environment; no inappropriate language was used,” Araghchi said. He added that both parties showed a commitment to follow a “desirable agreement from a position of equality.” “None of the side wants fruitless, protracted or time -ability negotiations,” the minister said. “The US side also said that their preference is that an agreement should be reached in the shortest time, but it will not be easy.” Oman Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, who mediated the talks between the delegations in separate rooms, said the discussions took place in “a friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging views and ultimately reaching regional and global peace, safety and stability.” Oil traders are watching the negotiations, although their focus is on the impact of Trump’s tariff policy and the threat of global demand for now, which sent prices to four years lows this week. Iranian production remains strongly with the production of almost a six -year high of nearly 3.4 million barrels per day, although there are signs of exports that support as traders for stricter sanctions. Trump abandoned the original nuclear deal in 2015 with Iran in its first term and was the driving force behind strict sanctions that severely rushed the Iranian economy. Iran’s clerical business has been dealing with increasing levels of turmoil and division over the past year and is broadly unpopular with a large part of the country’s urban middle class, which has for more than a decade has endured a major inflation and a tank currency. With the help of Golnar Motevalli and Rachel Lavin. © 2025 Bloomberg MP This article was generated from an automatic news agency feed without edits to text. First published: 13 Apr 2025, 12:55 am Ist