US, Iran agree to continue nuclear talks after 'difficult but useful' round

"Despite ongoing challenges and disputes in the current negotiations between Tehran and Washington, both sides appear to be making mutual concessions in pursuit of a deal," Iranian political analyst Alireza Namvar Haghighi told Iran International.

"Ultimately, because both sides are aiming for an agreement, they would meet each other halfway," Namvar Haghighi said.

He suggested that the United States may have agreed to accept Iran’s uranium enrichment—either in a frozen state or at a limited level—while, in return, Iran is prepared to accept stricter verification measures.

According to Namvar Haghighi, this compromise could serve as the basis for a potential agreement between the two sides.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, "We engage in dialogue because we seek peace. However, the notion of completely dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities is unacceptable to us."

"Some people mistakenly believe we are weak and make such claims in the media," he added.

"We need nuclear energy for healthcare, technology, agriculture, the environment, and industry, and we are not going to hand over this achievement so easily," Pezeshkian said.

"Iran will not give up its peaceful nuclear rights," Pezeshkian said. However, he added that "we can assure you Iran has never sought, is not seeking, and will never seek nuclear weapons."

He also said "we are engaged in serious negotiations and seeking an agreement."

"We are by no means seeking unrest in the region," Iran's president said, adding that it is Israel that is creating instability in the region.

“If no agreement is reached today, I can say without a doubt that the American side is to blame,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator.

“There may have been times in the past when I couldn’t say this, but today I say it with complete certainty: our side has entered the talks with the will and authority to make a deal,” Zarif added during a speech at the Tehran Book Fair, shortly after the conclusion of the fourth round of Iran-US negotiations in Oman.

Zarif, the architect of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, said that “if the other side does not want to reach an agreement and instead looks for excuses, the blame lies with them.”

Araghchi, the current Iranian foreign minister and chief negotiator, served as Zarif’s deputy during the negotiations that led to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed media reports about his disagreement with US President Donald Trump over Iran and Yemen's Houthis, saying there is no rift between Israel and the US.

Oman's foreign minister says the fourth round of Iran-US talks in Muscat 'included useful and original ideas reflecting a shared wish to reach an honorable agreement."

The fifth round will take place once both parties have consulted their leaderships, Badr Al-Busaidi said.

Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday that Tehran and Washington had made good progress on disputed issues during the fourth round of talks in Muscat, but reiterated Iran’s opposition to the US demand that it dismantle its uranium enrichment program.

“Uranium enrichment is not subject to compromise. While the scale and level of enrichment may be limited for confidence-building, the principle of enrichment is non-negotiable,” Abbas Araghchi told the state TV.

"The Americans’ contradictory public statements do not help the negotiations, and today in the talks we said it clearly that this approach must be corrected. It was emphasized that contradictory media portrayals harm the talks. If such contradictions continue, we will be forced to respond in kind."

He also said that "sanctions relief remains one of the foundations of our negotiation under any circumstances."

Araghchi described the fourth round of talks with the United States as "more serious and franker" than the previous rounds. He said the two sides "have come much closer on the disputed issues and understand each other better, and I hope we will make further progress moving forward."

"We moved away from general frameworks and entered more specific issues, which made the negotiations more difficult," Araghchi told the state TV.

"Despite the difficulty and frankness of the negotiations, useful discussions took place."

Araghchi said, "There is now greater understanding, and positions have come closer."

He said the talks can be described as moving forward, and both sides are determined.

"An agreement was reached to hold another meeting, but arranging the next round has been left to the Foreign Minister of Oman."

He said the next round of talks will probably be held in a week.

"We are encouraged by today's outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future," Reuters reported citing a senior Trump administration official.

"The Iranian armed forces are fully prepared for any situation," said Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces, during a trip to Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

"We are ready to defend national interests and the Persian Gulf," he added.

He said his visit to the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman "aims to assess the operational status of the area and the level of readiness of Iran’s armed forces—particularly the strategic naval forces of the Army and the IRGC—in defending our territorial and international waters and national resources."

Washington and Tehran have agreed to move forward with nuclear negotiations, focusing on technical issues in the next phase, said a senior US administration official after the fourth round of the talks.

“Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks with Iran to continue working through technical elements.”

US envoy Steve Witkoff held both direct and indirect discussions with Iranian representatives on Sunday in Muscat, Oman, the senior administration official said.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the fourth round of negotiations with the United States was “difficult but useful” in clarifying mutual positions.

“The fourth round of indirect Iran-US negotiations is concluded; difficult but useful talks to better understand each other's positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to address the differences,” spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

He added that the timing of the next round would be coordinated and announced by Oman.