Iran’s indirect talks with the US over the Iranian nuclear program are some of the country’s most intense and longest rounds of negotiations, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said. Araghchi made the comments yesterday in an interview with Iranian state television. He offered no specifics but said what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from Iranian side.

 

The US has yet to offer a comment on the talks. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran and the US held hours of indirect negotiations yesterday over Tehran’s nuclear programme but walked away without a deal.   

 

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva,  without any elaboration said there had been significant progress in the negotiation. Al-Busaidi said technical-level talks would continue next week in Vienna, the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

 

The tension in the region is at its peak as US President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program and the US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region. On the other hand, just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transfer it abroad and sought the lifting of international sanctions.