US and Iran resume nuclear talks in Rome with Oman as mediator
The second round of talks between the USA and Iran regarding Tehran's nuclear program has begun in Rome. The meeting is taking place at the Embassy of Oman, with the negotiations including the US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
On Saturday, in Rome, at the Embassy of Oman, the second round of talks between the United States and Iran commenced concerning the Iranian nuclear program. The negotiators include Washington's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. Oman's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr al-Busaidi, is acting as the mediator in these talks.
Second round of US-Iran talks. Oman’s crucial role
The meeting in Rome is a continuation of discussions that took place a week earlier in Muscat, Oman’s capital. Italian media report that the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is also present in Rome.
The talks are being conducted in an indirect format, meaning the parties are in separate rooms, and communication between them is facilitated by Oman’s Foreign Minister.
The first high-level meeting in eight years occurred on April 12. It is worth recalling that President Donald Trump, during his first term, withdrew the USA from the 2015 agreement, which called for easing sanctions on Iran in exchange for limiting its nuclear program. After the USA's withdrawal, Iran exceeded the permissible limits of uranium enrichment, raising Western concerns about Tehran's potential pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Western concerns
The West accuses Iran of enriching uranium to levels exceeding civilian needs, suggesting an effort to develop nuclear weapons. However, Tehran consistently denies these accusations, asserting that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
