Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Thursday (February 26) described talks between the United States and Iran—aimed at resolving a longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes—as some of the most serious negotiations the two countries have had.

“It was decided that the next round of negotiations will take place soon, in less than a week," he said. The Iranians, he added, had clearly expressed their demand for lifting of U.S. sanctions, which Washington has long insisted will only come after deep concessions from Tehran.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. negotiating team on the outcome of the talks. But Axios quoted a senior U.S. official as saying the Geneva negotiations were “positive.”

The discussions about the decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear work come as fears grow of a Middle East conflagration. Trump has repeatedly threatened action if there is no deal, and the U.S. military has amassed its forces in waters near the Islamic Republic.