RIYADH/TEHRAN —
RIYADH/TEHRAN — Saudi Arabia and Iran have begun the first round of direct nuclear talks in a decade, according to a joint statement issued by the two countries’ foreign ministries Tuesday. The negotiations, hosted in Muscat, Oman, are the most significant diplomatic step between the regional rivals since the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement collapsed in 2018.
The two delegations, led d a fragile US-Iran ceasefire that has held for just over a week.
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said the talks were not aimed at ‘undermining any party’s right to peaceful nuclear energy’ but at establishing ‘clear, verifiable, and reciprocal transparency mechanisms.’ Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, a position the United States and its Gulf allies have openly questioned for years.
Oman, which has long served as a diplomatic bridge between the two countries, is hosting the talks. The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it welcomed the dialogue and offered to provide technical support ‘as appropriate and as requested by both parties.’
The talks are expected to last several days. Analysts caution that progress will depend on whether Iran and Saudi Arabia can agree on verification protocols that satisfy Gulf security concerns without requiring a broader rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities — a position Tehran has repeatedly rejected.