Speaking on the sidelines of the indirect talks in Muscat, Oman on Saturday afternoon, Baqaei said the ongoing round was a start.
The spokesperson said: “This is a start, therefore it is only natural that the sides exchange their fundamental principles [only] via the Omani intermediary at this stage. Thus, we don’t expect this round to take long.”
Baqaei is a member of the Iranian negotiating team, which is headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The talks are being held indirectly via Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who shuttles between separate rooms where the Iranian and American negotiators are stationed to convey messages.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is the top U.S. negotiator.
The talks, which started earlier in Muscat on Saturday, came after Trump wrote to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, requesting that negotiations be opened into a deal between Tehran and Washington.
Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from a previous agreement with Iran in 2018.
Iran says it is giving diplomacy a “genuine chance” if the American side demonstrates resolve and goodwill.
IRNA