Iran, U.S. to hold talks in Rome in bid to reach nuclear deal

Iran and US to hold nuclear talks in Rome through Omani mediators, aiming to resolve atomic standoff.

Iran and the United States will hold a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday (April 19, 2025) to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran's atomic aims, under the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will negotiate indirectly through mediators from Oman, a week after a first round in Muscat that both sides described as constructive.

Tehran has sought to tamp down expectations of a quick deal, after some Iranian officials speculated that sanctions could be lifted soon. Iran's utmost authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said this week he was "neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic".

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For his part, Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday, "I'm for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can't have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific."

Mr. Trump, who ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers during his first term in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran since returning to the White House in January.

Washington wants Iran to halt production of highly enriched uranium, which it believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb.