Iran nuclear talks going 'very well', Donald Trump says on Air Force One

US President Donald Trump has said that talks with Iran over its nuclear programme are "going very well", following a high-level diplomatic meeting in Oman involving American and Iranian officials.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One early on Sunday morning, en route to a UFC event, Trump said: "I think they’re going well. Nothing matters until they’re finished, so I don’t like talking about them. But they’re going well, I think things with Iran are going very well."

On Saturday night, the White House announced that the talks were "very positive and constructive". In a statement, it said that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, hosted by Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.

The statement explained that Witkoff conveyed President Donald Trump’s "instructions" to Araghchi to "resolve the issues between the two countries through dialogue and diplomacy". It noted that the issues between the two countries are complex.

The statement mentioned that the two sides will meet again on 19 April.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday evening the conclusion of the indirect negotiations between Araghchi and Witkoff, noting that an agreement was reached to continue them next week.

In a statement, the ministry explained that the negotiations took place "in a constructive and positive atmosphere and addressed issues related to Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions".

It added that Araghchi and Witkoff "spoke briefly in the presence of the Omani Foreign Minister as they were leaving the negotiation venue".

In an interview with Iranian television, Araghchi said that the negotiation session lasted two and a half hours, and "the Omani Foreign Minister relayed messages between the two parties four times", adding that the negotiations occurred in "a calm and respectful atmosphere, with no inappropriate language used, and both sides showed their commitment to moving forward in dialogue until reaching a mutually desired agreement". 

The talks in Muscat came amid intense pressure, with Trump threatening military action if a new deal is not reached — the highest-level talks on the matter since Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 during his first term.

"If it requires military, we're going to have military. Israel will obviously be very much involved in that, be the leader of that," Trump said on Wednesday when asked what would happen if the talks with Iran fail.

Iran is seeking relief from wide-ranging sanctions crippling its economy.

Tehran has agreed to the meetings despite baulking at Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign of ramping up sanctions and repeated military threats.

Meanwhile the United States, hand-in-glove with Iran's arch-enemy Israel, wants to stop Tehran from ever getting close to developing a nuclear bomb.