The Washington administration believes that progress has been made in the talks between the US and Iran in Rome. This was stated by a US official to journalists.
“During the second round of negotiations in Rome, which lasted more than four hours, we made very good progress in direct and indirect discussions“, said the administration representative, quoted by the ABC television channel.
“We agreed to meet again next week and we are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating the talks, as well as to our Italian partners for hosting us today“, the official added.
Yesterday, a second round of indirect negotiations to resolve the differences over Tehran's nuclear program between Iran and the United States were held in Rome, with the mediation of Oman.
The American delegation was led by the US President's special envoy Stephen Witkoff, and the Iranian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi and Witkoff will meet on April 26 after technical-level consultations on April 23.
After the second round, Oman's foreign ministry said that the US and Iran are discussing an agreement that would allow the Islamic Republic to maintain its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy.
The talks should ensure that Tehran abandons the development of nuclear weapons and that sanctions imposed on the country are lifted.
On April 12, the first round of indirect talks between US and Iranian representatives, mediated by Oman, was held in Muscat on the situation surrounding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The Iranian delegation was led by Araghchi, the American by Witkoff.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said the negotiation process was gaining momentum and making "even the unlikely" possible.
„I would like to thank Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Presidential Envoy Stephen Witkoff for their very constructive approach to today's talks. These talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible,” al-Busaidi writes in X.
“There will be technical consultations at the expert level in Oman on Wednesday and next Saturday we will meet again to discuss the results of the experts’ work“, Araghchi said in an interview with Iranian state television.
He believes that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will play a positive role in resolving the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program in a timely manner, but it is too early for it to participate in negotiations with the United States.
“The agency will be part of this process and will play an important role. Its presence is useful, but not yet within these negotiations because we have not yet reached the stage where it is necessary," he said in an interview with IRNA.
In any case, the IAEA is the only organization that Iran grants access to nuclear facilities, and the entire responsibility for control and monitoring will be with it, Araghchi added.
The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of risks of a potential American or Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear sites, to the danger of Iran fulfilling its threats to create nuclear weapons.
At the same time, tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate due to the war between Israel and "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, as well as after US airstrikes against Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels, which killed more than 70 people and injured dozens more.