U.S. "encouraged" by progress in fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, official says

By Barak Ravid

The Trump administration is encouraged by the results of the fourth round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran in Oman, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday.

Why it matters: The fourth round of talks took place ahead of President Trump's trip to the Middle East later this week.

• Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have urged the White House to reach a nuclear deal with Iran in order to avoid a military strike on its nuclear facilities that could lead to a regional war.

Driving the news: White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held three hours of talks in Muscat on Sunday, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi.

• "The discussions were again both direct and indirect," the U.S. official said.

• The U.S. official said an agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements of a possible nuclear deal.

• "We are encouraged by today's outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future," the U.S. official said.

The other side: Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said after Sunday's talks that the negotiations were "difficult but useful... to better understand each other's positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to address the differences."

• Araghchi told Iranian state television after the talks that the negotiations on Sunday "were more serious" than previous rounds.

• "We have a better understanding of each other's views...the talks are moving forward," he said.

What to watch: Al-Busaidi wrote on X that the discussions included "useful and original ideas reflecting a shared wish to reach an honorable agreement."

• Al-Busaidi said the fifth round of talks will happen after the U.S. and Iranian representatives meet with their leaders.