DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥 Planned negotiations between Iran and the United States this weekend over Tehran鈥檚 rapidly advancing nuclear program have been postponed, Oman announced Thursday.
A message online from Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on the social platform X.
鈥淔or logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淣ew dates will be announced when mutually agreed.鈥
Al-Busaidi, who has mediated the talks through three rounds so far, did not elaborate. Iran and the U.S. did not immediately acknowledge al-Busaidi鈥檚 comments.
The talks Saturday were to be held in Rome, which soon will see the Vatican begin the conclave on Wednesday to pick a new pope after . Two other rounds of talks have been held in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The talks seek to limit Iran鈥檚 nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic . The negotiations have been led by .
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to if a deal isn鈥檛 reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Iran鈥檚 2015 nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehran鈥檚 program. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018, setting in motion years of attacks and tensions. The wider Middle East also remains on edge over .
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues an airstrike campaign, called 鈥淥peration Rough Rider,鈥 that has been , who long have been backed by Iran.
Saturday's round of talks also took place as an , killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
