Nuclear talks: Iran, US try to replace distrust with dialogue

Ahead of the talks, Trump said that he wanted Iran 'to be a wonderful, great, happy country; but they can't have nuclear weapons'

- MAJ GEN JAGATBIR SINGH (RETD) NEW DELHI

INTRODUCTION

Iran and the US held their first talks since President Trump came to power in Muscat on 12 April. The meeting was brief, respectful, constructive and set the stage for a second round. The US envoy, Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "briefly spoke" together—the first time the two nations have done that since the Obama administration.

The next round of discussions is likely to take place in Rome at the end of this week with the US hailing the "direct communication" as being key to striking a possible deal.

"Neither we, nor the other party, want fruitless negotiations, discussions for discussions' sake, time wasting or talks that drag on forever," Araghchi told Iranian state television. The most important issue at stake is what kind of deal each side would be willing to accept.

THE MEETING

The Iranian and US teams sat in separate rooms, with the Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi shuffling back and forth. At the end, Witkoff and Araghchi met in person briefly.

Prior to the meeting, Araghchi had said the goal was to build trust and to reach an agreement on the framework and timeline for negotiations on the nuclear programme. Iran had indicated that if the US put full dismantlement of its nuclear programme, it would walk away from the talks.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi wrote on X that the talks were "conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security and stability."

President Donald Trump, who pulled the US out of a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2018, has long said he would make a "better" deal.