US-Iran Talks: Parties Agree on Technical Discussions, 3rd Round Next Week
The US and Iran on Saturday concluded the second round of nuclear talks in Rome, with both sides saying they made progress, reported Reuters.
Officials from both countries agreed to hold technical-level talks on Wednesday in Oman to discuss the details of a possible deal, before a third round scheduled next Saturday in the Gulf country. Rome Talks
On Saturday, the US and Iran held the second round of talks on Tehran's nuclear ambitions in Rome, Italy. The negotiations between the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Aragchi, and the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, lasted for four hours, with Oman's Foreign Minister acting as a mediator to convey messages between the two negotiating teams.
After the meeting, Aragchi said that the talks were conducted in a 'relatively positive atmosphere,' adding that they enabled 'progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal.'
Similarly, an American official said that the discussions have achieved some progress. 'Today, in Rome over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,' the official said, according to Reuters. Technical Talks
Both countries agreed to hold technical-level talks on Wednesday to develop a framework for a potential nuclear agreement. 'The initiation of expert level track will begin in coming days with a view to hammer out details. After that, we will be in a better position to judge,' Aragchi wrote on X, signaling that the JCPOA signed in 2015 is 'no longer good enough' for Iran. 'For now, optimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution,' he added.
After the technical talks, negotiators will meet again on Saturday in Oman to 'review the experts' work and assess how closely it aligns with the principles of a potential agreement,' Aragchi told Iran's state TV.
In the same context, the Spokesperson of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, confirmed the technical-level talks. 'The two sides agreed to continue the indirect talks in [a] few days at [a] technical level to be followed by another round at their own level on coming Saturday,' he posted on X. Positive Signs
The Omani Foreign Ministry confirmed the third round of the US-Iran talks will take place next Saturday in Muscat. Moreover, Oman's Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, who acted as a mediator in the talks, commended the outcomes of the second round, saying that 'these talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible.'
In another positive sign, the Carnegie Endowment has invited Aragchi to deliver a speech as a keynote speaker at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, set to kick off on Monday in Washington.
'On Monday, the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference will kick off by taking on one of the most pressing nuclear issues of our time. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will join the conference for a virtual keynote conversation, moderated by The Economist's Steve Coll, days after the U.S. and Iran wrap up a second round of nuclear talks,' the global think tank posted on X. Iran's Nuclear Program
The talks aim to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief, amid fears that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. The US, Israel, and Western countries fear that Iran is close to acquiring an atomic bomb by accelerating its uranium enrichment to 60% purity, close to the 90%-weapon-grade level.
In the light of this, Witkoff suggested that the potential agreement would limit Iran's uranium enrichment level at 3.67%. 'They do not need to enrich past 3.67%. In some circumstances, they're at 60%, in other circumstances, 20%. That cannot be,' he told Fox News on Monday.
'This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program, and then ultimately verification on weaponization. That includes missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there. And it includes the trigger for a bomb,' he added.
Meanwhile, the US President, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened Tehran of military action if negotiations failed. '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,' he told reporters on Friday. Tehran's Red Lines
Iran has ruled out negotiations over its defense capabilities, including its missile program. It has also asked for reliable guarantees that the US will not ditch the agreement as Trump did in 2018. The country also identified other red lines regarding the potential deal.
According to an Iranian official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, Iran will never agree to dismantle its uranium enriching centrifuges, halt enrichment altogether, or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below levels agreed in the 2015 deal.
Furthermore, the political adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Shamkhani, said before the second round of talks that Tehran seeks a deal based on 9 principles, including seriousness, guarantees, lifting sanctions, halting threats, containing aggressors (such as Israel), and facilitating investments. 'Iran has come for a balanced agreement, not a surrender,' he wrote on X.
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