Iran, US reach ‘better understanding’ of goals in nuclear talks: Araghchi
‘Expert-level talks to be held on Wednesday’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran and the United States reached better understanding of a series of principles and goals during the second round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
In a live televised interview shortly after the end of nearly four hours of negotiations in Rome on Saturday, Araghchi said that the talks were held in a “constructive atmosphere” and are “moving forward”.
Iran’s top diplomat added that technical negotiations at the expert level will be held in Oman on Wednesday and “experts will have more time to design a framework for an agreement.”
The two sides will review the result of the Wednesday’s negotiations in separate talks which is scheduled to be held in Oman on Saturday to “see how close we are to the principles of an agreement”.
“I hope that we will be in a better position after the technical talks.”
Talks only on nuclear issue
The Iranian foreign minister underlined that only the nuclear issue was raised by the American side during the discussion.
“The Americans have not raised any issues unrelated to the nuclear topic so far,” Abbas Araghchi told the Tasnim News Agency.
There was no immediate readout from the US side after the meeting at the Omani Embassy in Rome’s Camilluccia neighborhood. However, President Donald Trump has been pushing for a rapid deal with Iran while threatening military action against it.
‘Fair, binding deal’
Oman’s Foreign Ministry in a statement after the talks said that Araghchi and US special envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff agreed to enter into the next phase of the discussions that would aim to “seal a fair, enduring and binding deal” which would ensure “Iran completely free of nuclear weapons and sanctions and maintaining its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy”.
Araghchi and Witkoff led the first round of the negotiations in Oman, which were described by the two sides as “positive and constructive”.
The negotiations are aimed at reaching a diplomatic agreement surrounding the Iranian nuclear program and to put an end to decades of disputes over the issue.
The talks are even happening represents a historic moment, given the decades of enmity between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Trump, in his first term, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, setting off years of negotiations that failed to restore the accord.
Western countries including the US have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons – an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its program is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Araghchi-Tajani meeting
Before talks with the US delegation, Araghchi held talks with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Tajani said Italy was ready “to facilitate the continuation of the talks even for sessions at the technical level.”
A diplomat deal “is built patiently, day after day, with dialogue and mutual respect,” he said in a statement.
Reaffirming Iran’s commitment to diplomacy, Araghchi urged all parties to seize the opportunity for a “logical and reasonable understanding” that would recognize Iran’s legitimate rights and lift “unjust and illegal sanctions.”
He emphasized Iran’s peaceful nuclear intentions, reiterating the country’s rejection of weapons of mass destruction based on its religious and national values and defensive doctrine.