Iran‘s foreign ministry characterized the indirect discussions with the U.S. in Oman as „constructive“ and generally „positive“ in a statement released shortly after the talks concluded. The discussions centered on Iran‘s nuclear program and Washington’s sanctions against the country.

Emphasizing the indirect nature of the talks, the statement noted that the Iranian and American delegations were situated in separate halls for the two-and-a-half-hour negotiation, communicating through written messages. At the end of the session, Iran‘s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff had a brief face-to-face encounter and “exchanged greetings out of courtesy” as they departed.

Middle East envoy Steve Wiktoff, alongside U.S. Ambassador to Oman Ana Escrogima, spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting that was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidy.

The two sides started talking at about 3:30 p.m. local time and finished at around 5:50 p.m. They were held just outside of Muscat, the capital of Oman.