'Neither optimistic nor pessimistic': Iran's Khamenei on nuclear talks with US

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday reacted to the recently held nuclear talks with the US, saying that he was "neither radically optimistic about the talks nor radically pessimistic" about it. He, however, added that the talks went "well".

“We are neither radically optimistic about the talks nor radically pessimistic about the talks,” he said. However, he noted that the initial stages of the talks had been carried out effectively, while also stating that Iran continued to view the United States with skepticism.

He also advised officials against linking the country's affairs too closely to the talks, which are set to resume with a second round on Saturday.

Negotiations between the two nations regarding Tehran's accelerating nuclear program seemed poised to shift out of the Middle East on Monday, with an Italian source and others indicating that the next round would be held in Rome. However, by early Tuesday, Iran maintained that the upcoming talks would still take place in Oman.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration over the slow progress of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, as the two sides prepare to enter a critical new round of discussions. "I think they're tapping us along," he said.

The initial round of negotiations over Tehran’s swiftly progressing nuclear program was held over the weekend in Oman. With nearly five decades of hostility between the two nations, the stakes are exceptionally high. Trump has repeatedly warned of potential airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities if no agreement is reached, while Iranian officials have increasingly signaled the possibility of pursuing a nuclear weapon, citing their growing stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.