Araqchi in Muscat: If America has enough will, we can hope for an initial understanding

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): After meeting with Sayyed Badr Al-Busaidi, Omani Foreign Minister, regarding the arrangements for indirect talks and the timing of the talks, he stated that his team consists of experienced specialists and senior experts in the nuclear field and the lifting of sanctions, who are participating in this process with full seriousness.
Araghchi said, pointing to the importance of clarifying the main issues and the will of the parties in the talks: “It is still early to decide on the timetable, but if there is enough will, we will enter the next stage.”
The talks, which are centered on Iran’s nuclear issues, are being indirectly coordinated by Oman.

Meanwhile, Wendy Sherman, a former deputy secretary of state and the top US negotiator on the JCPOA, told ABC News that Whitaker has a tough job ahead of him because Araghchi is a tough and intelligent opponent: Trump seems to have a lot of confidence in Whitaker. These talks are very technically complex, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was my negotiator during the talks under Obama, is a very tough and intelligent person. He speaks English perfectly and fluently and knows all the technical details, so Whitaker is facing a tough opponent.

This comes as an Iranian official warned that “maximal and unreasonable demands” from the American side, even if used as negotiating tactics, could lead to an immediate deadlock in the Oman talks. For Iran, such demands would demonstrate the US’s “lack of seriousness” about finding a diplomatic solution.