Iran, US Hold Expert Talks in Oman Over Tehran's Nuclear Programme

'Talks will continue next week with a further high level meeting'

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MUSCAT: Iran and the United States held in-depth negotiations in Oman over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme on Saturday, talks that likely will hinge on the Islamic Republic's enrichment of uranium.

The talks ran for several hours in Muscat, the mountain-wrapped capital of this sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

A person close to Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, acknowledged that the meeting had started and later ended.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Iranian state television also reported their conclusion.

However, neither Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi nor Witkoff offered any immediate specifics or details on the talks that they'll lead.

But Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has mediated the two previous rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome, offered a positive note at the end of Saturday's negotiations.