Egypt Daily News – The United States and Iran concluded a second round of talks on Saturday regarding Tehran’s nuclear program and agreed to meet again within a week, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The talks, mediated by Oman, took place in Rome and lasted about four hours, according to Iranian state TV, which described the atmosphere as “constructive.” Oman stated that the negotiations between Washington and Tehran aim to reach an agreement ensuring that Iran remains free of nuclear weapons, following Saturday’s discussions in Rome.
A spokesperson for the Omani Foreign Ministry confirmed that the meetings “resulted in the parties agreeing to move to the next phase of discussions aimed at reaching a fair, permanent, and binding agreement that guarantees Iran is completely free of nuclear weapons and that all sanctions are lifted, while preserving its right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on the platform X: “The two sides agreed to resume indirect technical-level talks in the coming days, followed by continued negotiations between two senior negotiators next Saturday, April 26.”
Iran later announced that the third round of talks will be held in Oman.
The latest round of talks was led by Iranian envoy Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Whitkoff and his team, with Oman acting as the intermediary, according to Iranian state TV and a U.S. official. The meeting was held at the residence of the Omani ambassador, the official mediator, as confirmed by Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei to Iranian TV.
A special envoy for Iranian state television described the discussions as “constructive,” and the Tasnim news agency echoed the same sentiment.
“In two separate rooms”
Baghaei explained that “the two delegations are in separate rooms, and the Omani minister is relaying messages between them.”
This was the second high-level meeting between the two countries since U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the historic nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018, which had eased international sanctions in exchange for curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
After returning to the White House in January, Trump reinstated the “maximum pressure” policy from his first term against the Islamic Republic, which severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. in 1980, shortly after the Islamic Revolution.
In March, Trump called on the Iranian government to negotiate a new agreement and threatened to bomb Iran if diplomacy failed.
However, on Thursday he said, “I’m in no rush” to resort to military options, adding, “I believe Iran wants to talk.”
The Iranian delegation arrived in Rome overnight, according to footage aired on state TV showing Araghchi disembarking from a plane.
On the eve of the talks, Araghchi expressed “serious doubts about the intentions and motives of the American side,” but confirmed, “We will participate in tomorrow’s (Saturday) negotiations regardless.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman wrote Saturday on X: “We recognize that the path to an agreement is not without obstacles.”
Western countries, led by the United States and joined by Iran’s regional rival Israel, suspect that Tehran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran denies these allegations and insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
In an interview published Wednesday by the French newspaper Le Monde, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran is “not far” from having a nuclear bomb.
The U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the re-imposition of sanctions prompted Iran to gradually abandon the restrictions outlined in the agreement.
Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60%, far above the 3.67% limit set by the agreement, though still below the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade material.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged European countries to make a “critical decision” on whether to trigger the “snapback mechanism,” which would automatically reinstate UN sanctions on Iran over its non-compliance with the nuclear deal.
“Red lines”
Iran insists that the talks be limited strictly to its nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions, considering its regional influence, missile capabilities, and even the peaceful components of its nuclear activities to be “red lines.”
Araghchi warned on Friday against presenting “unreasonable and unrealistic demands,” after Whitkoff earlier in the week called for the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, including its civilian sector.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard had earlier stated that Iran’s military and defense capabilities, including its ballistic missile program, are not up for discussion in the talks.
Iran leads the “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East, opposing Israel and the United States, and includes groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and armed factions in Iraq.
On Friday, Israel, a close U.S. ally, reaffirmed its firm commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying it has a “clear course of action” to stop it.
