MUSCAT, Oman: The fifth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is set to take place on Friday in Rome, the mediator Oman announced.
Iran and the United States have held four rounds of Omani-mediated nuclear talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between the two countries since Washington abandoned the 2015 nuclear accord.
President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2018, and has now sought a “better” deal.
Earlier, Trump said that the US will not allow Iran to have a nuclear bomb.
The most recent round of talks was held in the Omani capital, Muscat, on May 11.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said: “The 5th round of Iran-US talks will take place in Rome this Friday.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday confirmed that Tehran would hold a fifth round of talks on its nuclear programme with the US in Rome later this week.
The spokesman said in a statement that Tehran had agreed “to a proposal put forward by (mediator) Oman… to organise another round of Iran-US talks” in the Italian capital on Friday.
Earlier today, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran is considering whether to participate in the next round of indirect talks with the United States, warning that excessive demands by Washington will jeopardise the diplomatic process.
Speaking to reporters, Araqchi said Iran has already responded to the “unreasonable demands” raised by US officials, stressing that such unrealistic positions will hinder progress in the negotiations.
“Enrichment will continue with or without an agreement. However, if the parties wish for transparency regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, we are ready. However, in return, discussions must take place about the removal of the cruel sanctions imposed because of allegations about our nuclear program, and these sanctions must be lifted,” he said.
The talks aim for a new agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that the ongoing negotiations were unlikely to “lead to any outcome. We don’t know what will happen”.
His remarks came amid a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s enrichment activities.
Denying Iran’s right to enrich uranium was “a big mistake”, Khamenei warned.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate hearing in Washington that “we hope that we can reach an agreement with Iran”.
Iran has repeatedly insisted its right to maintain uranium enrichment was “non-negotiable”, while chief US negotiator Steve Witkoff has called it a “red line”.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.
Iran’s Parliament Members on Wednesday said that Iran will never back down from its right to use nuclear technology as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In a statement, the legislators reaffirmed the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, saying that the Islamic Republic has never sought, nor will it seek, to build an atomic bomb.
“The noble nation of Iran, these days, we are witnessing that American officials and some members of Congress have made statements contrary to the interests of the Iranian nation,” it said, as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency. – Agencies
