ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said the first round of indirect talks with Washington in Oman “was a good start,” adding that the two sides have agreed to continue negotiations following consultations with their governments.

The Omani capital Muscat on Friday hosted top Iranian and American diplomats for talks aiming to prepare the appropriate conditions for “resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations.”

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi met with the Iranian delegation, led by Araghchi, and the American delegation, led US by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, separately, exchanging messages between the two sides.

“The views of both sides were conveyed in a good atmosphere. It was a good start,” Araghchi told reporters following the meetings, thanking Oman for its hospitality.

“Our concerns were conveyed, our interests, the rights that the Iranian people have, and all the matters that needed to be said, in my opinion, were conveyed in a very good atmosphere, and at the same time, the views of the other side were also heard,” the foreign minister added.

Esmail Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, said in a post on X that the talks concluded with an agreement to continue talks, with decisions regarding the next round of talks to be made “in consultation with their capitals.”

Araghchi stressed the need for an agreed framework to continue talks moving forward, deeming it necessary to “overcome this prevailing atmosphere of distrust.”

The talks in Muscat have primarily focused on Iran’s nuclear program, which has put the country under crippling sanctions. The US has also demanded Iran terminate its missile program.

Tehran has repeatedly said that its ballistic missile program is “not subject to negotiation,” insisting on its right to defend the country, as well as its right to pursue the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

“Very serious talks mediating between Iran and the US in Muscat today. It was useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress,” Busaidi wrote on X.

“We aim to reconvene in due course, with the results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington,” he added.

The US and Iran engaged in several rounds of nuclear talks last year, but the negotiations came to a halt when Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Iran in June.

Friday’s talks also came amid heightening tensions between Tehran and Washington, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening to militarily intervene if Iran continues killing protesters amid the ongoing nationwide protests.

Iranian authorities have delivered a heavy-handed response to the protests, killing, injuring, and arresting tens of thousands of people. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported that Iranian security forces have killed more than 6,800 protesters and arrested over 50,000 since the demonstrations began in late December.