The Fourth Round Of US-Iran Negotiations Postponed, New Date Depends On Washington's Approach

JAKARTA - The fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which was supposed to take place in Rome, Italy on Saturday, will be postponed, a new date will depend on Washington's approach, a senior Tehran official said Thursday.

"US sanctions against Iran during nuclear talks did not help both sides to resolve nuclear disputes through diplomacy," the official told Reuters.

"Depending on the US approach, the next round of talks will be announced," he added.

Earlier, Oman, who mediated in early sessions of US-Iran talks, said Thursday the next round of a temporary planned nuclear discussion for May 3 would be rescheduled for "logistical reasons".

However, a source familiar with the matter said the United States had never confirmed its participation in the fourth round of talks in Rome.

The source said the timing and place of the next round of talks had not been confirmed but expected in the near future.

Iran on Thursday accused the US of "contradict and provocative behavior", after Washington warned Tehran of the consequences for supporting Yemen's Houthis and imposing new oil-related sanctions amid nuclear talks.

Separately, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would continue to engage "seriously and decisively" in outcome-oriented negotiations with the US, state media reported.

US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to attack Iran if diplomacy fails, has hinted at his confidence in winning a new pact with Iran that will block Tehran's path to the nuclear bomb.

President Trump, who has restored his "maximum pressure" campaign in Tehran since February, canceled the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers in 2018 during his first term of office, reimposing crippling sanctions against Iran.

Iran has gone far beyond the 2015 agreement limit on its uranium enrichment since the US exited the pact. European countries have the same concerns as Washington, Tehran could seek to make atomic bombs. Iran says its program is peaceful.