ISTANBUL
Iran’s top security official said Wednesday that the date of the next round of negotiations with the US remains under review and will be announced at a later date.
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told the state-owned Al-Alam TV that recent talks with Washington were “relatively good” and suggested the US side appears interested in advancing discussions toward an appropriate solution.
He added that it is too early to assess the overall trajectory of the negotiations based on a single meeting.
“One cannot judge the negotiations from one round alone, and we must follow their continuation,” he added.
On Tuesday, Larijani told Oman TV during a visit to Muscat that the US side had concluded that the ongoing negotiations should remain confined to the nuclear file and not include other matters.
He suggested the talks could succeed if they remain focused. “If the Americans’ concern is that Iran should not move toward acquiring a nuclear weapon, this is something that can be resolved. But introducing issues beyond that into the negotiations will complicate the path,” he said.
Larijani added that Washington is now adopting a more realistic approach. “Previously, they linked military and missile issues to the nuclear file. Now they are speaking only about the nuclear file, which is a rational approach. Military issues have no relation to the nuclear file.”
He also said that the US should not allow Israel to shape the course of negotiations according to its own positions, saying such a move would ultimately harm American interests.
His remarks came ahead of a scheduled meeting Wednesday evening between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu said before departing Tel Aviv that he would discuss “Gaza, the region, and first and foremost the negotiations with Iran” during the visit, which is set to last until Thursday.
Last Friday, indirect negotiations between the US and Iran were held in Muscat amid escalating tensions and a reported US military buildup in the region. Trump said later that evening that new talks between the two sides would take place “early” next week, without specifying a date.
Tehran accuses the US administration and Israel of fabricating pretexts for military intervention and regime change and has vowed to respond to any attack, even a limited one. Iranian officials insist that sanctions relief must accompany any agreement to limit the country’s nuclear program.
Uranium enrichment remains a key point of contention. Iran demands the lifting of Western economic sanctions in exchange for restricting its nuclear activities to prevent the development of a nuclear bomb. The US, meanwhile, has called on Iran to fully halt enrichment and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad.
Washington has also sought to expand the scope of talks to include Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for armed groups in the region, while Tehran has repeatedly said it will negotiate only on its nuclear program.