ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism about the success of nuclear talks with the United States after the Omani mediator said the latest round wrapped up on Friday without “conclusive progress.”
“The fifth round of Iran US talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress. We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days, to allow us to proceed towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honourable agreement,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.
Iran’s foreign minister struck a positive tone after going into the talks setting an ultimatum that Tehran would not accept the zero uranium enrichment Washington wanted.
“This round was one of the most professional stages of negotiations we have ever experienced. In this meeting, the positions and principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the negotiation process were once again presented with complete transparency,” Abbas Araghchi told reporters.
Both sides agreed to conduct further expert reviews on the proposals discussed, which will be forwarded to their respective capitals for consideration without creating binding commitments, he added.
“Although we have not yet reached the final agreement stage, the atmosphere prevailing in today's negotiations, especially given the proposals made by Oman to remove obstacles, has strengthened the possibility of achieving progress,” Araghchi said.
The latest round of talks has shifted from technical discussions to high-level negotiations. The focus is on Iran’s uranium enrichment program with technical experts present at the meetings.
Washington’s negotiator, Steve Witkoff, has said that Iran must agree to zero uranium enrichment.
Araghchi said the talks will fail if the US sticks to that red line. “Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide,” he wrote on X before traveling to Rome for Friday’s talks.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also cast doubt over the success of the talks amid mounting US demands to fully curtail Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted that atomic weapons go against the Islamic republic’s doctrine and has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The goal of the talks is to replace the 2015 nuclear deal that US President Donald Trump withdrew from during his first term in office.
The negotiations are coming amid increased tensions between Iran and Israel. Israel has frequently threatened military action against Iran and CNN reported this week that intelligence indicates Israel is preparing for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran warned it would hold the US accountable for any Israeli military action.
