Expert-level meet means red lines respected in Iran-US talks
By Mostafa Shirmohammadi
Editor-in-chief
The second round of negotiations between Iran and the United States aimed at resolving disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program came to a close in the Italian capital Rome with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing the talks as “moving forward.”
The latest diplomatic push picked up where the first round in Muscat, Oman, had left off. Just days after the opening discussions’ mixed signals came out of Washington.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff initially said that Iran could maintain a uranium enrichment program. However, in a dramatic U-turn, he walked back his statement less than 24 hours later, declaring that Iran’s uranium enrichment must be entirely dismantled.
The firm stance laid down by Iran’s chief negotiator Araghchi, who immediately hit back by saying that enrichment was not up for talks, appears to have forced the Americans to backtrack.
Araghchi’s statement in the wake of the talks in Rome that negotiators had “reached a better understanding on a set of principles and objectives” and agreed to carry on with expert-level talks on Wednesday suggests that both parties might have chosen to respect each other’s red lines.
Page 2