Iran and the US will hold more talks next week about Tehran's nuclear program after a first round ended on Saturday, Iranian state television has said.
It said US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "briefly spoke in the presence of the Omani foreign minister" at the end of the indirect talks in the Omani capital, Muscat.
US officials have not immediately confirmed the Iranian reports.
Iran, US 'very close to a basis for negotiations,' Tehran says
The US and Iran were "very close to a basis for negotiations," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television following Saturday's talks.
"If we can conclude this basis next week, we'll have gone a long way and will be able to start real discussions based on that," Araghchi said.
The Iranian top diplomat said the talks took place in a "productive, calm and positive atmosphere," adding that both sides were after an agreement in the short term.
"We do not want talks for [the sake of] talks," he said, adding that the talks would resume next Saturday.
"The current focus of the talks will be de-escalating regional tensions, prisoner exchanges and limited agreements to ease sanctions [against Iran] in exchange for controlling Iran's nuclear program," the Reuters news agency quoted an Omani unnamed source as saying.
Though the Saturday talks were indirect, Araghchi said both sides spoke face-to-face for "a few minutes."
White House says talks were 'very positive and constructive'
The talks between Washington and Tehran marked a "step forward" between the two countries, the White House said on Saturday, describing the discussions as "very positive and constructive."
"These issues are very complicated, and Special Envoy [Steven] Witkoff's direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome," the White House said in a statement.
It added that the US envoy told Iran's top diplomat that "he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations' differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible."
The White House confirmed earlier Iranian statements saying talks would resume next Saturday.
Russian diplomat says US-Iran talks are 'encouraging'
A senior Russian diplomat hailed the talks held by Tehran and Washington, describing them as "encouraging."
"At the end of today's meeting in Oman, both the Iranians and the Americans called the talks that took place positive and constructive," Mikhail Ulyanov, Russian ambassador to international bodies in Vienna, wrote on Telegram.
Moscow tightened its relationship with Tehran since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and has been using Iranian drones in the war. Russia's ties with the US have also seen a significant thaw since Trump came back to power earlier this year.
