Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he is neither optimistic nor pessimistic about ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States.
In remarks early Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the talks, which were held in Oman over the weekend, went “well” but Iran will approach future negotiations carefully.
“We are neither radically optimistic nor radically pessimistic about the talks,” the ayatollah said.
His comments come as Iranian and U.S. officials are expected to meet this weekend for another round of talks. However, there has been some confusion as to where the negotiators will meet.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators conducted indirect talks in Oman on Saturday, with Omani officials acting as intermediaries. Shortly after the talks wrapped, both parties confirmed that more negotiations would take place.
On Monday, reports circulated that the next round of talks would be held Saturday in Rome. However, Iranian officials claimed Tuesday to not know about the change in location, maintaining that the next round of negotiations would take place in Oman.
The confusion follows harsh comments from President Trump, who implied that Iranian negotiators were playing for time.
“I think they’re tapping us along,” Mr. Trump said Monday in the Oval Office.
It remains to be seen if the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. will prove successful. While Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes, the U.S. is determined to eliminate Iran’s capacity for producing atomic weapons.
