JERUSALEM — With President Donald Trump set to leave for the Middle East on Monday, talks between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran concluded a fourth round of negotiations in Oman on Sunday over Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program.
Before leaving for his trip, Trump reiterated his stance on Iran's nuclear goals while addressing reporters at the White House, where he said, "You can't have a nuclear weapon, but I think that they are talking intelligently. We're in the midst of talking to them, and they're right now acting very intelligent. We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can't have … nuclear weapons. Very simple. So I think they understand that."
A day before the start of talks, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei welcomed chants of "Death to America" in Tehran. "Your judgment is right," Khamenei told a crowd of supporters who called for the destruction of the U.S. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the nuclear talks were "difficult but useful." A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, offered a little bit more, describing them as being both indirect and direct, The Associated Press reported. An "agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements," the U.S. official said. "We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future." (Read More)
