Iran and the United States will hold a new round of talks on the nuclear programme in Rome on Friday. Despite serious differences, the parties are ready to continue the dialogue.
The next round of talks between Iran and the US on the nuclear programme in Rome will be the fifth meeting between the parties. Oman is participating in the talks as a mediator.
The US is seeking to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in order to avoid an arms race in the region. Iran, for its part, insists on the lifting of sanctions that have severely weakened the country’s economy, especially the oil sector.
The Iranian side is led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the American delegation is headed by President Donald Trump’s special representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Step in the right direction
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump considers the talks “a step in the right direction.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that a new agreement is being discussed under which Iran would be allowed to develop only a peaceful nuclear programme, without the right to enrich uranium. He acknowledged that reaching a compromise would be difficult.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei harshly criticised the US position, calling it unacceptable. He believes that under such conditions, an agreement may not be reached.
One of the main points of contention remains Iran’s refusal to export its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and limit its ballistic programme.
At the same time, Tehran continues to insist that its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.
Iran is demanding guarantees that the US will not withdraw from the agreement in the future, as it did in 2018 when President Trump cancelled the terms of the 2015 deal and reimposed sanctions. After that, Iran exceeded the permissible level of uranium enrichment.
