U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (Credit: Evelyn, Amer Hilabi / AFP)
Iran and the United States will resume talks on Iran’s nuclear program on Saturday in Rome, one week after an initial round of discussions that both countries — adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — described as “constructive.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will hold the talks under the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman, as in the previous round held in Muscat.
The talks are scheduled to begin at “noon, Iran time,” which corresponds to 10:30 a.m. in Rome, according to the Iranian state television’s special envoy reporting from Italy. This marks the second meeting at this level since the U.S. withdrawal in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first presidency, from the international nuclear agreement, which aimed to regulate Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
Since returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump has revived his so-called “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, with which the United States has had no diplomatic relations since 1980.
‘Important decision’
In March, he called on the Iranian leadership to negotiate a new agreement but also threatened to bomb Iran if diplomacy failed. However, on Thursday, Trump stated he was “in no rush” to resort to military action. “I think Iran wants to talk,” he emphasized.
The Iranian delegation arrived in Rome overnight, according to footage aired Saturday by Iranian state television, showing Araghchi stepping off a plane. He will lead “indirect” talks, the broadcaster noted. On the eve of the discussions, Araghchi expressed “serious doubts” about U.S. intentions. “We are aware that the path” to an agreement “is not without obstacles,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai wrote Saturday on X.
Western countries and Israel—Iran’s sworn enemy—suspect Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies these allegations, asserting its right to nuclear energy for peaceful, civilian purposes, including power generation.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde published Wednesday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, stated that Iran was “not far” from having the atomic bomb.
After the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 agreement and the reimposition of American sanctions, Tehran gradually distanced itself from the deal in retaliation. The country is now enriching uranium up to 60% — far above the 3.67% cap set by the agreement, though still below the 90% level needed to produce a nuclear weapon, according to the IAEA.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged European members of the agreement to quickly make an “important decision” on the “reinstatement of international sanctions” against Iran, stating that the country is “clearly not complying with the current deal.”
‘Red lines’
Iran insists that the talks remain focused solely on its nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions, and considers any demand to halt all nuclear activities a “red line.” On Friday, Araghchi once again warned the United States against making “unreasonable and unrealistic demands,” after Witkoff earlier in the week called for a complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program — including its civilian components.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the ideological army of the Islamic Republic — has ruled out any discussion of Iran’s military and defense capabilities, including its ballistic missile program, which continues to raise international concerns.
Iran’s regional influence is also among its ‘red lines,’ according to the official IRNA news agency. Tehran supports what it calls the ‘Axis of Resistance’ — an alliance of armed groups hostile to Israel, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Shiite militias in Iraq.
Following the launch of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, Israel reiterated its determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating it has an “action plan” to achieve that goal.
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