Nuclear Talks: US and Iran Agree to Meet Again Next Week

Iran and the United States have concluded a second round of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program in Rome, agreeing to meet again next week. While both sides appear committed to diplomacy, expectations of a breakthrough remain low.

The discussions follow an initial round held in Oman last weekend, which both parties described as “constructive.” Yet even as diplomats return to the table, US President Donald Trump continues to issue stern warnings, repeatedly framing the situation in stark terms.

“I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death... That's my first option. If there's a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, responding to a New York Times report claiming he had "waved off" an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear sites as early as next month.

“I wouldn't say waved off. I'm not in a rush to do it,” Trump added, reinforcing his preference for a diplomatic resolution but not ruling out military action.

Why Iran Returned to the Table

The current talks mark a return to diplomacy after a period of sharp escalation. In 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which had imposed limits on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Calling the deal too lenient, Trump reimposed tough sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign designed to force Iran into a new agreement. Iran responded by gradually breaching the deal’s terms and increasing its stockpile of highly-enriched uranium—enough now, experts say, to produce several nuclear weapons if it so chose.

A statement on the official website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the decision to return to talks came only after the US agreed to focus solely on nuclear issues—“not out of fear of US and Israeli strikes.”

Mixed Signals from Washington

Complicating matters are conflicting messages coming from the US side.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and head of the US negotiating team, posted on X:
“Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East - meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”

But just a day earlier, he had told Fox News that Iran might be allowed to continue enriching uranium, provided it remained within limits.

“They do not need to enrich past 3.67%,” he said, referring to the threshold set in the 2015 deal.
“This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment programme and then ultimately verification on weaponization.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading Tehran’s delegation, criticized what he called Witkoff’s “contradictory statements,” and emphasized Iran’s position.

“We are ready to build trust regarding possible concerns over Iran's enrichment, but the principle of enrichment is not negotiable,” Araghchi said.

The Road Ahead

Despite agreeing to continue talks next week, both sides appear far from a consensus. Trump has said he will be “making a decision on Iran very quickly,” but it remains unclear what direction that decision will take.

Whether the talks can lead to a renewed agreement—or collapse into confrontation—may depend on what happens in the days to come, both at the negotiating table and in the political backrooms of Washington, Tehran, and Tel Aviv.