US and Iran say talks over Tehran’s nuclear program make progress and set plans for more
ROME — Iran and the United States plan to meet over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program again next week, after both sides said they made progress in their talks Saturday in Rome. A U.S. official confirmed that at a point during the negotiations in Rome, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke face to face.
Before they meet again in Oman on April 26, Araghchi said technical-level talks would be held in the coming days. That experts would be discussing details of a possible deal suggests movement in the talks and comes as Trump has pushed for a rapid agreement while threatening military action against Iran. The sides “made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” according to a senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private diplomatic meeting. In a post on X, Araghchi similarly said they made “progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal.” He added, however, that “optimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution.” He told Iranian state television earlier that “I hope that we will be in a better position after the technical talks.” While the U.S. said both direct and indirect discussions were held, Iranian officials described them as indirect, like those last weekend in Muscat, Oman, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi shuttling between them in different rooms.In a separate post, Oman’s Foreign Ministry said the sides agreed to keep talking to seek a deal that ensures Iran is “completely free of nuclear weapons and sanctions, and maintaining its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy.” That talks are even happening represents a historic moment, given the decades of enmity between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. Trump, in his first term, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, setting off years of attacks and negotiations that failed to restore the accord that drastically limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.At risk is a possible American or Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, or the Iranians following through on their threats to pursue an atomic weapon. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have spiked over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza and after U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels killed more than 70 people and wounded dozens more. “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said Friday. “I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.” Before the Iran talks started, Witkoff met in Rome with Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to a person familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details that were not made public. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency would likely be key in verifying compliance by Iran should a deal be reached, as it did with the 2015 accord Iran reached with world powers. In a flurry of gatherings, Grossi also met with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who sat down with Araghchi before the U.S.-Iran talks. A diplomatic deal “is built patiently, day after day, with dialogue and mutual respect,” Tajani said in a statement.Witkoff had been in Paris for talks about Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale war there grinds on. He also met in the French capital with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, and Mossad chief David Barnea. Dermer was in Rome on Saturday and spotted at the same hotel where Witkoff was staying. It was unclear if that was a coincidence, and there was no indication Dermer was part of the Iran talks.Russia, one of the world powers involved in Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal, could be a key participant in any future deal reached between Tehran and Washington. Analysts suggest Moscow could potentially take custody of Iran’s uranium enriched to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Zelenskyy says Russia is trying to create an 'impression of a ceasefire' as attacks continueZelenskiy tells Ukraine on Easter: 'Evil may have its hour but God will have his day'Three-day heat alert issued for Karachi'We're going to stand behind freedom' - Harvard students rally against Trump's demandsPunjab govt committed to serving province's people: AzmaThe job of a CM is not to sit cross-legged on a chair, says Maryam Nawaz
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