The vehicles of the American delegation escorted by Italian police at the entrance of the Omani embassy in Rome, where the second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States took place on April 19, 2025. (Credit: Andreas Solaro/AFP.)
U.S. expects new discussions with Iran "in the near future" on Tehran's nuclear program, despite the postponement of those planned for Saturday, Thursday Donald Trump further increased the pressure against Iranian oil.
The talks between the two countries, enemies for four decades, aim to conclude a new agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons - an ambition Tehran has always denied having - in exchange for lifting the sanctions that are crippling its economy.
Washington and Tehran were set to meet for a fourth round of negotiations on Saturday in Rome, after both parties reported progress in previous discussions. But Iran confirmed the postponement on Thursday after the Omani mediator cited "logistical reasons."
Washington nevertheless indicated it "expects that new discussions will take place in the near future," stating that the date and location of those originally planned for this weekend were never confirmed.
Other discussions scheduled for Friday, between Iran on one hand, and the United Kingdom, France, and Germany on the other, will also not occur, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in Washington, where he met his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio.
- "Cease now" -
Trump, who has revived his so-called "maximum pressure" policy on Iran by pressing it to negotiate while threatening to bomb it if diplomacy fails, promised Thursday to be uncompromising in the effective implementation of sanctions dating back to his first term. Specifically, radical measures against Iranian oil.
"All purchases of Iranian oil or petrochemical products must cease, NOW," the American president emphasized on his Truth social network. "Any country or person buying any amount of Iranian oil or petrochemical products will be immediately subjected to indirect sanctions."
Questioned by AFP about the new implications of this announcement, the White House did not respond.
Donald Trump's warnings come a day after Washington announced new sanctions against seven companies accused of being involved in selling Iranian oil.
- "Contradictory approach" -
In response, Tehran lamented an "American policymakers' contradictory approach, and their lack of good faith and seriousness to progress on the path of diplomacy."
The sanctions desired by Donald Trump are the latest U.S. attempt "to disrupt friendly and legal relations between developing countries through economic terrorism," it accused.
Western countries, led by the United States, and Israel suspect Iran of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran rejects these allegations, defending a right to nuclear power for civilian purposes.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, along with China and Russia, are parties to the multilateral agreement concluded in 2015 with Iran, providing for a restriction on Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions. But the text became de facto obsolete following the U.S. withdrawal decided in 2018 under Donald Trump's first term.
The agreement, which expires in October 2025, provides for the possibility of reimposing international sanctions if Iran does not comply with its commitments.
"In a few weeks, if we do not have an agreement with Iran on a marked, verifiable, and robust rollback of the nuclear program, then we, Europeans, will reapply the sanctions we lifted ten years ago," Jean-Noel Barrot stated in Washington.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is currently enriching uranium at a high level (60%), below the 90% needed for nuclear weapons production, but far from the cap of 3.67% set by the Vienna agreement.
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