Iran and the United States held their first technical-level talks on Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Saturday, a more complex phase of their high-stakes negotiations. “The negotiations this round were much more serious than in the past,

The third round of talks in three weeks have raised hopes for an Iran nuclear accord, which could avert a new Mideast conflict. President Trump said he believed a deal was within reach.

Iran and the United States have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides said on Saturday, though Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi voiced "extreme cautious" about the success of the negotiations to resolve a decades-long standoff.