Muscat, April 18 (IANS) Oman’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that it will continue to mediate a second round of nuclear talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled to take place in Rome on Saturday.
A spokesman of Oman’s Foreign Ministry “confirmed that Rome will be the venue this Saturday for the second round of talks between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America,” the Omani Foreign Ministry said on Thursday in a statement on X.
In a statement, the Ministry said that the Italian capital was chosen as the new site for the talks due to logistical reasons, expressing hope that the discussions could make further progress toward reaching a just, binding, and sustainable agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.
Oman also expressed appreciation to the Italian government for its cooperation and support in hosting the upcoming meeting.
With Oman’s mediation, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi engaged in a first round of “indirect” discussions with US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in Muscat on April 12, focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and the potential removal of US sanctions.
The talks in Muscat, described by both sides as “constructive,” followed US President Donald Trump’s statement in early March that he had sent a letter to Iranian leaders, delivered through the United Arab Emirates, proposing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran later agreed on indirect talks.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear programme if a deal isn’t reached.
Iranian officials have increasingly warned that they could pursue the development of a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Wednesday’s announcement came as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian formally approved the resignation of one of his Vice-Presidents who served as Tehran’s key negotiator in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Mohammad Javad Zarif served as a key supporter of Pezeshkian in his election last year but attracted criticism from hard-liners within the Shia theocracy, who long have alleged Zarif gave away too much in negotiations.
“Pezeshkian emphasised that due to certain issues, his administration can no longer benefit from Zarif’s valuable knowledge and expertise,” a statement from the presidency said.
The President in a decree appointed Mohsen Ismaili, 59, to be his new Vice-President for strategic affairs. In Iran’s political system, the President has multiple Vice-Presidents. Ismaili is known as a political moderate and a legal expert.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, arrived in Tehran for meetings with Pezeshkian and others, which likely will be held on Thursday as his previous visits saw engagements take place the morning after his arrival.
Since the landmark nuclear deal’s collapse in 2018 with Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of the US from the accord, Iran has abandoned all limits on its program, and enriches uranium to up to 60 per cent purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 and saw Iran agree to limit its nuclear activities in return for international sanctions relief.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the US about taking contradictory stances in the talks.
“Enrichment is a real and accepted issue and we are ready for trust-building about possible concerns,” Araghchi said, but added that losing the right to enrich at all “is not negotiable”.
Araghchi’s warning likely refers to comments from US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who this week initially suggested a deal could see Iran go back to 3.67 per cent uranium enrichment, similar to the 2015 level when the deal was reached by the Obama administration.
Witkoff then followed up with saying “a deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal”.
“Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponisation program,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
“It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do.”
–IANS
int/khz
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