Weekend round of nuclear talks between US and Iran are postponed, Oman says

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI United Arab Emirates AP Planned negotiations between Iran and the United States this weekend over Tehran s rapidly advancing nuclear plan have been postponed Oman broadcasted Thursday A message online from Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on the social platform X For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May rd he wrote New dates will be released when mutually agreed Al-Busaidi who has mediated the talks through three rounds so far did not elaborate Iran s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued a report describing the talks as being postponed at the request of Oman s foreign minister He announced Iran remain committed to reaching a fair and lasting agreement Meanwhile a person familiar with the U S negotiators disclosed that America had never verified its participation in a fourth round of talks in Rome However the person stated the U S expected the talks to occur in the near future The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations 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 the death of Pope Francis Two other rounds of talks have been held in Muscat the capital of Oman The talks seek to limit Iran s nuclear initiative in exchange for the lifting of several of the crushing economic sanctions the U S has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a half-century of enmity The negotiations have been led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U S Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff U S President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran s undertaking if a deal isn t reached Iranian agents increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels Iran s nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehran s scheme However Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in setting in motion years of attacks and tensions The wider Middle East also remains on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip Meanwhile the U S continues an airstrike campaign called Operation Rough Rider that has been targeting Yemen s Houthi rebels who long have been backed by Iran U S Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth early Thursday warned Iran over the rebels Message to IRAN We see your LETHAL patronage to The Houthis We know exactly what you are doing he wrote You know very well what the U S Military is capable of and you were warned You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing Last Saturday s round of talks which included experts drilling down into the details of a realizable deal also took place as an explosion rocked an Iranian port killing at least people and injuring more than others Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran Iran and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this summary