Araghchi made the remarks while speaking to reporters after the third round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States in Muscat, Oman.

“I am satisfied with the progress of the negotiations and their pace. They are proceeding well and remain satisfactory,” he told reporters after the talks on Saturday.

He added that both parties are determined to reach an agreement. “It was quite evident that both sides were serious and entered the talks with determination. This creates an atmosphere that gives us hope for progress in the negotiations.”

The top Iranian diplomat noted that the sides had agreed to hold further consultations in their respective capitals to explore ways to resolve differences.

He explained that Tehran and Washington should first establish a general understanding on certain issues before moving on to detailed negotiations.

“There are differences between the two nations, both on key issues and their specifics,” Araghchi said.

He noted that Oman, as the facilitating country, would determine the details of the next round of the talks, which is likely to be held next Saturday.

Araghchi said the fourth round of the talks would also be led by him and US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in the presence of both sides’ experts.

IAEA experts likely to attend fourth round of Iran-US talks

As the sides are gradually entering more detailed and specialized topics, experts will be invited to the talks accordingly, the Iranian top negotiator said.

In today’s talks in Muscat, economic experts were present for the first time, he added, noting that experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are likely to take part in the next round of the negotiations.

Three rounds of talks focused on nuclear issue, sanctions removal

Araghchi once again reiterated that the three rounds of talks between Iran and the US only focused on the nuclear issue, and no other topics have been included.

He clarified that by the nuclear issue, he meant building confidence about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions.

Past experiences accelerate negotiations

The Iranian foreign minister said there are some “very serious” differences between Tehran and Washington and some others with less seriousness and expressed hope that the two sides would be able to move forward quickly.

“The past experiences help us to make our progress easier and faster, but I believe that so far, our progress has been good,” Araghchi added.

The Saturday indirect talks between Iran and the US in Muscat were led by Araghchi and Witkoff. Earlier in the day, technical-level talks between Iranian and American experts also took place in Muscat.

Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, led Washington’s expert-level delegation, while Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi led Tehran’s team. The expert-level discussions focused on details of expectations and demands.