Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L), meets his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, prior to negotiations with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff in Muscat, Oman, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
British Minister for West Asia Hamish Falconer says the United Kingdom, along with France and Germany, supports settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue through diplomacy.
In a post on X on Sunday, Falconer hailed the indirect talks between Iran and the United States in the Omani capital of Muscat as an “important first step.”
“I’m glad to be in Muscat to welcome the important first step in Oman between US-Iran in seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear problem,” he wrote.
Falconer, who also serves as minister for West Asia and North Africa, warned that time remains short.
“The UK, alongside E3 partners, stand ready to support,” he emphasized.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy for West Asia affairs, led the first round of indirect talks in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday.
Both sides described the talks as positive and constructive, with Araghchi saying that the next round is expected to take place on April 19 at the same level.
Speaking to IRIB after the talks concluded, Araghchi said the first round of indirect Iran-US negotiations brought the two sides closer to establishing “the basis of negotiations” for future discussions.
Iran has rejected direct negotiations with the US due to President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy and military threats.
Despite this, Iranian officials have expressed a willingness to give diplomacy a “genuine chance.” They view the talks in Oman as a first step to assess Washington’s intent and resolve.
In 2018 and during his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from a previous agreement on Iran’s nuclear program – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and launched a maximum pressure campaign against the country.
Trump restored that policy after returning to the White House for a second term in January, but he has since signaled a willingness to make a new deal to replace the JCPOA.
