Iran and the United States have described their latest indirect nuclear negotiations as productive, with both sides agreeing to continue discussions in the coming week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Saturday’s talks in Rome “constructive,” while a senior US official cited by AP noted “very good progress.”
Technical experts are set to meet in the coming days ahead of a third round of talks scheduled for April 26 in Oman.
The discussions, mediated by Omani officials, involved four hours of indirect dialogue between Iranian and US delegations at Oman’s embassy in Rome.
The Iranian team was led by Araghchi, while the US side was headed by Steve Witkoff, a real estate billionaire and special envoy appointed by former President Donald Trump.
Messages were relayed via Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, with the delegations remaining in separate rooms.
The meeting follows last week’s talks in Muscat—the first high-level engagement since Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
Araghchi acknowledged a “degree of seriousness” from Washington but questioned its long-term intentions.
Tensions persist over Iran’s nuclear programme, which Western nations suspect aims to develop weapons—a claim Tehran denies, insisting its activities are purely peaceful.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who met Italian officials in Rome on Saturday, recently stated Iran is “not far” from nuclear weapons capability.
His agency would oversee compliance if a new agreement is reached.
The US and Iran have had no formal diplomatic ties since 1979.
While Trump reinstated harsh sanctions earlier this year, he also urged negotiations in a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—paired with threats of military action if diplomacy fails.
The core dispute remains whether Iran can retain a civilian nuclear programme or must dismantle it entirely, as demanded by US hardliners.
