Iran and the United States are set to engage in a new round of nuclear negotiations in Rome on Saturday, aiming to resolve the longstanding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. These talks come amid heightened tensions, with U.S. President Donald Trump maintaining his threat of military action should diplomacy fail.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will conduct the talks indirectly through mediators from Oman. This follows a productive first round in Muscat a week ago.
Araqchi arrived in Rome to attend the second round of discussions, as confirmed by a post on his Telegram account. Speaking in Moscow on Friday, he expressed optimism about reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, as long as the U.S. adopts a realistic approach. However, Tehran has sought to lower expectations for a rapid resolution, with officials refraining from claiming imminent sanctions relief. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described his outlook as neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic.
Meanwhile, President Trump reiterated his firm stance on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating: “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”
Trump, who abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers during his first term and reimposed severe sanctions on Tehran, has ramped up his “maximum pressure” policy since returning to office in January. Washington is pressing Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment, which it believes is a step toward nuclear weaponization.
Iran has long insisted that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. The country has indicated it would consider limiting some aspects of its programme in exchange for the removal of sanctions but seeks assurances that the U.S. will not renege on any agreement as it did in 2018.
Since 2019, Iran has exceeded the limits set by the 2015 deal, significantly increasing its uranium enrichment stockpiles, far beyond what Western powers consider necessary for civilian energy needs.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined Iran’s core demands: Tehran refuses to dismantle its uranium enrichment centrifuges, halt enrichment, or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below the levels agreed in the 2015 deal. Iran also rejects any discussions on its missile programmes.
Despite the differences, both sides have expressed a commitment to diplomacy, although significant gaps remain over how to resolve the nuclear dispute, which has persisted for more than two decades.
Although Araqchi and Witkoff met briefly at the conclusion of the first round, direct talks between the two countries have not occurred since 2015. Iran has confirmed that the talks in Rome will also be held indirectly through the Omani mediators.
Russia, which is a party to the 2015 nuclear agreement, has offered to play a mediatory role in facilitating discussions between the U.S. and Iran, should that be helpful for reaching a deal.
