The United States and Iran are poised to begin a second round of high-stakes negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme in Rome on Saturday, just one week after both sides described their initial discussions as “constructive.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in the Italian capital, where he is scheduled to engage in Oman-mediated talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The dialogue is expected to start at 0830 GMT.
These negotiations follow the recent indirect talks in Muscat — the highest-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018.
Western powers, including the US, have long accused Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently rejected these allegations, asserting that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Diplomatic ties between Iran and the United States have been severed since shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After returning to office in January, Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” strategy, imposing stringent sanctions on Iran. In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging renewed talks and hinting at the possibility of military action if diplomacy failed.
“I’m not in a rush to use the military option,” Trump said on Thursday. “I think Iran wants to talk.”
Araghchi said on Friday that Iran noticed a “degree of seriousness” from the US during the previous talks but remained skeptical of Washington’s motivations. “Despite serious doubts about the American side’s intentions, we will attend Saturday’s negotiations,” he stated during a press conference in Moscow.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted early Saturday that Tehran is “fully aware the road ahead is challenging” but remains committed to progress, drawing from past experiences.
At a Critical Juncture
In an interview with Le Monde published Wednesday, Rafael Grossi, head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said Iran is “not far” from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
During Trump’s first term, the US exited the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided sanctions relief to Iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
Key Issues Remain
Iran has maintained that current negotiations should solely address its nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions. Araghchi suggested a deal could be reached if the US avoids “unreasonable and unrealistic demands.”
Analysts suggest the US may push to broaden the discussions to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region.
Araghchi reaffirmed that Iran’s right to enrich uranium is “non-negotiable,” countering Witkoff’s call for a complete halt to enrichment. Previously, the US envoy had only asked Iran to return to the enrichment limits under the 2015 agreement.
Earlier this week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the country’s defense capabilities would not be part of the discussions. The IRNA news agency reported that Iran considers its regional influence and missile development as “red lines” in the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Israel reaffirmed its opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran, stating it has a “clear course of action” to prevent Tehran from obtaining such capabilities.
Ayatollah Khamenei recently cautioned Iranians not to place too much hope in the outcome of the talks, stating they “may or may not yield results.”
