High-level nuclear talks between the United States and Iran resumed in Rome on Saturday, concluding their second round with cautious optimism and a growing awareness of the deep divisions that remain. The discussions are part of an ongoing effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to find a diplomatic solution that could avoid military conflict in the Middle East. While both countries acknowledged that progress had been made, key issues remain unresolved, and the stakes are rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States is demanding that Iran stop enriching uranium to high levels, a process that American officials believe is a clear step toward building a nuclear weapon. President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term and reimposed heavy sanctions, has returned to office and revived his policy of “maximum pressure” on Tehran. Still, he has signaled that diplomacy is his first choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can\u2019t have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump said during a press conference. \u201cI want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.\u201d He added, \u201cI\u2019m not in a rush to do it because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Trump also gave a clear warning. \u201cIf there\u2019s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran,\u201d he said. This statement suggests that while military action is not imminent, it remains on the table if talks break down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran, for its part, said that the talks in Rome were constructive. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated after the meeting, \u201cI can say that there is movement forward. We\u2019ve reached better understanding and agreement on some principles and goals in these Rome negotiations.\u201d He also confirmed that the meeting lasted about four hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these signs of progress, Iran continues to resist what it sees as excessive demands. Araghchi posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), \u201cis no longer good enough for us.\u201d He explained that to Iran, \u201cwhat is left from that deal are \u2018lessons learned,\u2019\u201d and warned that \u201coptimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, posted a list of nine principles that Iran\u2019s negotiating team is following. These include seriousness, balance, speed, rejection of threats, removal of sanctions, and a refusal to surrender to outside pressure. He wrote, \u201cIran\u2019s team in Rome with full authority for a deal based on 9 principles\u2026 not to yield.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shamkhani also stressed that Iran would never agree to dismantle its uranium enrichment centrifuges, halt enrichment entirely, or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below the levels set in the original deal. He added that Iran would not negotiate about its missile program or other defense capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussions in Rome were not conducted face-to-face. The U.S. delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Iranian delegation, led by Araghchi, sat in separate rooms. Messages were relayed between them by Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi, who has taken the lead role in mediating. The decision to use Oman again, despite the location shift to Rome, reflects the trust both sides place in Oman as a neutral party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third round of talks is scheduled to take place next Saturday in Muscat, Oman, following technical-level discussions that will happen during the week. An Iranian spokesperson confirmed that \u201cthe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A senior U.S. official told CNN that \u201cwe made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions. We agreed to meet again next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks and to our Italian partners for hosting us today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The talks are happening at a time of increased tension in the Middle East. Iran\u2019s network of regional militias has been weakened by Israeli strikes, and concerns remain about Iran\u2019s ability to ramp up uranium enrichment quickly if talks collapse. Israel, which strongly opposes the negotiations, has continued its covert and overt efforts to undermine Iran\u2019s nuclear progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that his country\u2019s operations are the reason Iran does not already possess a nuclear weapon. Before the Rome meeting, Witkoff met quietly in Paris with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad Director David Barnea. According to U.S. intelligence, Israel may attempt to strike Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities if it believes diplomacy is failing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Italy\u2019s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tried to strike a hopeful note. \u201cRome becomes the capital of peace and dialog,\u201d he posted online. \u201cI encouraged Araghchi to follow the path of negotiation against nuclear arms. The hope of the Italian government is that all together may find a positive solution for the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saudi Arabia has also shown new interest in regional diplomacy. Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi Defense Minister, visited Tehran this week in one of the highest-level trips by a Saudi official in decades. A source familiar with the visit said it was intended to improve diplomatic ties and reduce the risk of conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia, another original signatory to the 2015 deal, is also offering support. Araghchi visited Moscow before the Rome talks and met with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russia has said it is willing \u201cto assist, mediate, and play any role\u201d that can help secure an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the efforts, many experts remain skeptical. David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security, warned that \u201cIran needs to start cooperating more fully with the IAEA in order to develop confidence that any deal is water-tight.\u201d He also noted that Trump has given negotiators a two-month window to finalize a deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tehran has surpassed the uranium enrichment limits set by the JCPOA, claiming it needs the fuel for peaceful energy. However, the scale and pace of enrichment have alarmed Western intelligence agencies. The head of the UN\u2019s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, called the negotiations \u201cat a very crucial stage,\u201d warning, \u201cwe know we don\u2019t have much time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NP Editor: <\/strong> Don’t trust them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" High-level nuclear talks between the United States and Iran resumed in Rome on Saturday, concluding their second round with cautious optimism and a growing awareness of the deep divisions that remain. The discussions are part of an ongoing effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to find a diplomatic solution that could avoid military conflict in the Middle East. While both countries acknowledged that progress had been made, key issues remain unresolved, and the stakes are rising. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/usiranasdfs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6004"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6006,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004\/revisions\/6006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}