Iran says “good progress” in US talks, next round within a week

• Omani mediators reported "significant progress" and "unprecedented openness" during Thursday's high-stakes talks in Geneva, with both sides agreeing to move to technical-level negotiations in Vienna next week.
• Despite the diplomatic momentum, the US is reportedly demanding that Iran dismantle its three primary nuclear sites and surrender all enriched uranium, backed by the largest American military buildup in the region in decades.

Iran and the United States made "significant progress" in talks in Switzerland on Thursday, Oman's foreign minister said, at the end of the latest round of negotiations to avert a war between the longtime foes.

The Oman-mediated discussions follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the US president last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal.

While Iran has insisted the discussions focus solely on its nuclear programme, the US wants Tehran's missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region curtailed.

"We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran," Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X, adding that "discussions on a technical level will take place next week in Vienna".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the latest round of talks with the United States dealt with the nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions, adding that negotiators made "good progress".

"We made very good progress and entered into the elements of an agreement very seriously, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field," Araghchi told state TV after the talks in Geneva ended.

“Today’s round was the best among the rounds so far. We clearly presented our demands to the American side. Technical talks will be held on Monday to discuss detailed specifics.”

“We achieved good progress on the nuclear file and sanctions relief. There is agreement on some points and disagreements on others as well,” Araghchi added.

The talks took place as the US continued its largest military buildup in the Middle East in decades.

The US and Iranian delegations held a morning session at the Omani ambassador's residence amid tight security, before pausing to hold consultations with their respective capitals.

Convoys of cars belonging to US and Iranian diplomatic missions arrived back at the residence of Oman's ambassador before 1700 GMT, following the break of several hours.

Albusaidi said after the morning session that the two sides expressed "unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions".

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi joined the negotiations, a source close to the talks told AFP, with an Iranian state TV journalist also reporting he was attending.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump's negotiating team would demand that Iran dismantle its three main nuclear sites and hand over all its remaining enriched uranium to the United States.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic republic was not "at all" seeking a nuclear weapon.

As part of the dramatic US build-up, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week, left a naval base in Crete on Thursday, an AFP photographer said.