U.S., Iran resume tense nuclear talks in Muscat

Top Iranian and U.S. negotiators resumed talks on Sunday to address disputes over Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian state media reported, in a push for progress as Washington hardens its stance ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East visit.

Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, despite Washington taking a tough stance in public that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.

Araqchi, before departing for Muscat, told Iranian state TV that he hopes for "constructive" talks, "while preserving the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Witkoff said that Washington's red line is: "No enrichment. That means dismantlement, no weaponization,” requiring the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan

Reacting to Witkoff's comments, Araqchi said on Saturday that Iran would not compromise on its nuclear rights, which includes uranium enrichment.

Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment programme or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among "Iran's red lines that could not be compromised" in the talks.

In the streets of Tehran, Iranians said they were hopeful of a peaceful outcome of the talks but wary of Trump's aggressive negotiating tactics.