Oman says US-Iran talks end with ‘significant progress’ but no deal reached – Middle East live

As yet there has been no immediate comment from the Trump administration after the conclusion of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Geneva today. We’ll be sure to bring you any word from Donald Trump or US officials as we get it.

We have, however, heard from Iran, with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi telling reporters that “good progress” was made on the nuclear issue and sanction relief in this round of talks – but key differences remain. He described the talks as “one of our most intense and longest rounds of negotiations”, and said the two sides had begun to discuss “the elements of an agreement”.

Araghchi confirmed that further contacts would take place in less than a week. A reminder that on 19 February Trump issued a 10-15 day deadline for Tehran to reach a “meaningful deal” with Washington, which would bring us to next Friday, 6 March.

Here’s the full text of Araghchi’s statement:

Today I can say that one of our most serious and longest rounds of negotiations took place. The meeting lasted for about four hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

These talks were held indirectly and with the mediation of the Omani foreign minister, and in some parts [IAEA chief Rafael] Grossi also conveyed the discussions between the two sides. His presence was useful from a technical point of view. The Omani foreign minister also played an active role, as in the past.

Overall, during these long and very intensive hours, good progress was made and we entered into a serious examination of the elements of an agreement; both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.

On some issues, understandings have come very close. Of course, there are still differences of opinion, which is natural, but compared to the past, both sides are more serious about reaching a negotiated solution.

It was agreed that, starting Monday, technical teams in Vienna and at the International Atomic Energy Agency will begin technical expert reviews to set some technical issues within a specific framework and then adapt them to the demands and political considerations of both sides.

It was also decided that the next round of negotiations will be held in the near future—probably in less than a week.

Here is the full story on today’s talks by my colleague Patrick Wintour.

High-stakes talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme ended on Thursday with the Omani mediators claiming that “significant progress” had been made and predicting the talks would reconvene at a technical level next week in Vienna.

But there was no immediate evidence to support suggestions that the two sides had drawn closer together on the fundamental issues of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and the future of its highly enriched uranium stocks.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the talks as “one of our most intense and longest rounds of negotiations,” but said that “good progress” had been made. He confirmed that further contacts would take place in less than a week.

The indirect talks in Geneva were held in two sessions, with reports that the US team led by Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had been disappointed by the proposals put forward by Iran.

Iran said the next round of nuclear talks with the U.S. is expected in less than a week.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi described it the most serious exchanges with Washington, saying Tehran clearly laid out its demand for lifting sanctions and the process for relief.

Both sides needed to consult with their respective capitals, Araqchi said on Thursday to state TV.

Araqchi added technical-level discussions will start in Vienna from Monday.

Here is the full post from the Omani foreign minister’s account on X:

We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran. We will resume soon after consultation in the respective capitals. Discussions on a technical level will take place next week in Vienna. I am grateful to all concerned for their efforts: the negotiators, the IAEA, and our hosts the Swiss government.

CNN is also reporting that the fresh round of indirect US-Iran talks has begun in Geneva after a few hours’ break, citing Iran’s state-run broadcaster.

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said the “second round of the third phase” of the talks had started, after both delegations arrived back at the Omani embassy.

Earlier, we reported that the convoy carrying US diplomats in Geneva had arrived back at the location, shortly after the convoy carrying Iranian diplomats.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have resumed indirect talks mediated by Oman, Reuters reports citing Iranian state media, after having adjourned their earlier session.

A convoy carrying US diplomats in Geneva has arrived at the location of indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

The convoy pulled into the compound on the shores of Lake Geneva. A convoy carrying Iranian diplomats arrived earlier.

The two sides had taken a several-hour break in the talks. The US side went to a meeting with Ukrainian officials during that time.

And while negotiations continue, the build-up of US firepower around Iran goes on apace.

Earlier today, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, left the US naval base of Souda Bay on Crete for the Middle East – adding to what has become the biggest military presence in the region in decades.

The nuclear-powered carrier, the largest warship ever constructed, has spent four days at the deep-water port refuelling and resupplying.

The vessel, which is expected to reach the shores of Israel within 24 hours, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and other ships that arrived in the Middle East last month.

“It’s hard to see how such a powerful military presence can simply be de-escalated without very significant progress in today’s talks,” said one well-placed diplomat.

Satellite photos shot Tuesday and Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the Associated Press appeared to show that American vessels typically docked in Bahrain, the home of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, were all out at sea.

Before Iran’s attack on a US base in Qatar during the closing days of the war last June, the 5th Fleet similarly scattered its ships at sea to protect against a potential attack.

If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible US attack.

If the aim of potential military action is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it’s not clear whether limited strikes would work.

AP reports:

If the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, that will likely commit the US to a larger, longer military campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, including the potential for chaos in Iran.

There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel.

Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns, with benchmark Brent crude now around $70 a barrel.

Iran in the last round of talks said it briefly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.

According to the Iranian foreign ministry, the talks in Geneva will resume at 5.30pm local time (4.30pm GMT).

While the talks have been taking place in Geneva, people have gathered in front of the UN office in the Swiss city to protest against the Iranian government.

Looking ahead to the resumption of talks later today, it is worth noting that US president Donald Trump wants Iran to completely halt its enrichment of uranium and roll back both its long-range missile program and its support for regional armed groups.

But Iran says it will only discuss nuclear issues, and maintains its atomic program is for entirely peaceful purposes.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Iran is “always trying to rebuild elements” of its nuclear program. He said that Tehran is not enriching uranium right now, “but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”

Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked IAEA inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by the Associated Press have shown activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.

The west and the IAEA say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. After Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity – a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Here are some images from the newswires from Geneva this morning, showing the US and Iranian delegations arriving at the talks and the large police presence in the area.

While we wait for more updates on the US-Iran talks, over in Jordan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in Amman where they visited the World Central Kitchen Food (WCK) hub coordinating food relief for Gaza.

Harry and Meghan, who stepped down as working royals in 2020, arrived in Jordan yesterday for a two-day trip to spotlight organisations that help people affected by war and displacement, the PA news agency reported. They visited a refugee camp for thousands of displaced Syrians and met with children from Gaza being treated at a hospital in Amman as part of their trip.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has joined the talks and is the “technical observer” of the negotiations.

As our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports here, for Iran, the presence of Grossi at the Geneva talks along with mediators from Oman is regarded as significant, since Grossi has the legal authority to state if he thinks any access offered by Iran to verify its commitments on enrichment matches the inspectorate’s needs.

An Iranian agreement on a suspension of uranium enrichment is not unprecedented. In 2003 the then secretary of the supreme national security council, Hassan Rouhani, agreed with France, Germany and the UK to suspend all uranium enrichment and processing activities and to allow snap inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog.

The Iranian negotiating team who are being asked to present specific proposals at the Geneva talks will seek irreversible sanctions relief such as the release of frozen Iranian assets held abroad.

Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said the talks will solely focus “on the nuclear issue”, according to the AFP news agency.

He added that Iran will push for the lifting of sanctions and assert Tehran’s right “to peaceful use of nuclear energy”.

He said these terms were relayed to the Omani foreign minister mediating the talks.

It is understood that US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is heading to Geneva for the talks along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has asked only that Iran agree to enrichment at below 5% purity, roughly the level it accepted in the 2015 nuclear deal and well below weapons grade.

A source in contact with Iran’s negotiation team said members were surprised at the lax terms of the proposal submitted last week by Kushner and Witkoff as a first step. The key request, this source said, was that Iran agree to limit enrichment to 5% and convert the programme to civilian use.

But, in turn, the source said there were no offers of immediate sanctions relief or diplomatic ties: Iran would be left in economic handcuffs. Still, the next step, the source said, would be negotiations to gradually relieve sanctions and opening dialogue.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, met with the Omani foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, in Geneva last night. Albusaidi is expected to meet with the US negotiating team this morning