Key points
- Trump said serious progress had been made
- He did not elaborate on the talks in Rome
- Talks highest-level contact between two countries since 2015
ISLAMABAD: United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US negotiators had “very good” talks with an Iranian delegation over the weekend as he seeks a deal to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,” Trump told reporters at the Morristown, New Jersey, airport as he prepared to return to Washington after a weekend at his Bedminster golf club.
Trump said serious progress had been made. He did not elaborate on the talks in Rome between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and an Iranian delegation, Reuters reported.
The Oman-mediated talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the countries since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during Trump’s first term as US president.
“Maximum pressure”
According to AFP, since returning to office, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, backing talks but warning of military action if diplomacy fails.
Iran wants a new deal that would ease the sanctions that have battered its economy.
Following the latest round, Iranian Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi downplayed the progress, stressing that “the negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings.”
And Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X that the fifth round concluded “with some but not conclusive progress,” adding that he hoped “the remaining issues” would be clarified in the coming days.
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.
— Badr Albusaidi – بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) May 23, 2025
Trump said continuing discussions had been “very, very good.”
“Good News”
“I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,” he said, adding that an announcement could come “over the next two days.”
The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during which Iran’s nuclear activities will be reviewed.
They also come before the October expiry of the 2015 accord, which aimed to allay US and European Union suspicions that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has consistently denied.
In return for curbs on its nuclear programme, Iran had received relief from international sanctions. But the accord was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions, according to AFP.
