Representatives of the US and Iran completed a fourth round of talks aimed at curbing Teheran’s nuclear ambitions.
The talks took place in Muscat, the capital of Oman, over the weekend. They aim to limit Iran’s military nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of US restrictions which have crushed the Iranian economy.
The US contingent was led by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Talks took place indirectly, with mediation from Omani diplomats, possibly because of political pressure from within Iran.
According to a US official, “Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements.”
The official continued: “We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future.”
President Trump has repeatedly assured Iran that if talks fail, military strikes to prevent further enrichment of uranium by Teheran will be an option. Israel has also threatened unilateral action of its own.
On Friday, Steve Witkoff spoke to Breitbart and said that all enrichment must cease.
“An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again,” Witkoff said.
“That’s our red line. No enrichment. That means dismantlement, it means no weaponization, and it means that Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan—those are their three enrichment facilities—have to be dismantled.”
Since the US backed out of President Obama’s nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has removed all limits on its program of enrichment and is now believed to be on the verge of having enriched uranium sufficiently to make a nuclear weapon.
In related news, President Trump is set to visit the Middle East this week. The President is due to arrive in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Tuesday to meet the country’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In January, Prince Mohammed said that Saudi Arabia would invest $600bn in the US over the coming years. President Trump has said he’d like that figure to rise to $1tn, including purchases of greater amounts of US military equipment.