TEHRAN — A second round of high-stakes talks between the United States and Iran concluded in Rome Saturday, as both sides seek to ease growing tensions over potential military action and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
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 a nuclear weapon. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi both arrived late Saturday morning for the high-stakes negotiations at the Omani Embassy in Rome.
Following the talks, Araghchi told Iranian state television they were “held in a constructive atmosphere” and “moving forward.”
“There is no reason for too much optimism, we cannot say that we are really optimistic,” he told the outlet. “We must be very cautious, but there is no reason for much pessimism either.”
In a statement, Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Witkoff and Araghchi agreed to enter the next phase of discussions “that aim to seal a fair, enduring and binding deal.” The statement said the deal will ensure Iran is free of nuclear weapons and lift sanctions against the country, as well as continuing to allow it “to develop peaceful nuclear energy.”
The next round of discussions will take place in Oman’s capital, Muscat, “in the next few days,” according to the country’s foreign ministry.
There was no immediate statement from the U.S. regarding the talks.
The talks were mediated by Oman, who also hosted a first round of negotiations between the two men in Muscat last Saturday, which paved the way for another meeting as both countries move towards cautious diplomacy.
“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.”
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Trump had privately waved off Israeli proposals to strike Iranian nuclear sites, preferring instead to pursue a renegotiated deal.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that actions taken during the first stage of talks in Oman were “good,” and must be “pursued carefully.”
The talks represent a historic moment, given the decades of enmity between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew a U.S.-backed regime, and a U.S. embassy hostage crisis that same year.
Since then, the U.S. has imposed rounds of crippling economic sanctions on Iran. In 2018, during Trump’s first term, he unilaterally withdrew from an accord Iran had struck with world leaders that had drastically limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
The heart of the current talks remains Iran’s uranium enrichment, a key indicator of how close a country may be to developing a nuclear weapon.
Under the 2015 nuclear accord, Iran agreed to cap enrichment at 3.67%, far below the 90% needed for weapons-grade uranium. The limit was intended to ensure the program remained civilian in nature. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the deal offered Iran billions in sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear ambitions.
The deal was signed by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the U.S., Russia, France, China and the United Kingdom — as well as Germany and the European Union.
But that agreement began to unravel in 2018 when Trump pulled the U.S. out, calling it “the worst deal ever.” His first administration imposed sweeping sanctions that choked Iran’s economy and isolated its financial and energy sectors.
In turn, Iran rolled back its limits and is believed to have enriched uranium up to 60%, closer to the weapons-grade level of 90%.
Araghchi and Witkoff met in Oman last Saturday in talks both sides described as positive and constructive, though Iran has said since that it has been confused over the mixed messaging by the Trump administration on whether it wants Iran to completely dismantle its entire nuclear program.
Last week, Witkoff posted on X that Iran must “stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”
The previous day, on Fox News, the special envoy had stated that “the conversation with the Iranians” would focus on limiting uranium enrichment at 3.67 % for civil nuclear purposes.
Witkoff’s apparent contradiction underscores the tensions that have surrounded the current talks, clouded also by lingering suspicion of Trump following the collapse of the JCPOA in 2018. Tehran remains deeply wary.
Further signs of a potential shift emerged during a Friday prayer service in Tehran attended by hardline clerics and military figures, the message from the imam was revealing — Iran should remain open to negotiations.
As some in the crowd of thousands at the University of Tehran campus chanted “death to America,” and the imam warned that talks should be pursued with caution, and that the U.S. and the Trump administration had shown they could not be trusted.
Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if no agreement is reached. Ahead of Saturday’s talks, the U.S. moved a second aircraft carrier into regional waters. The president also threatened to extend tariffs on nations that continue buying Iranian oil, atop the litany of sanctions already in force.
