ROME — Iran-United States diplomatic talks on Tehran's rising nuclear program are soon to be transferred to Europe as a new series of talks are set to resume in Rome this Saturday, an Italian government source stated.
In the meantime, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that he will travel to Iran later this week, in what appears to be an effort to increase international access and monitoring of Iran's nuclear program.
The upcoming talks are timely, given the continued tension between the U.S. and Iran as ties have remained strained after nearly five decades of hostility. President Donald Trump has been calling repeatedly that military intervention against Iran's nuclear ambitions remains an option in case diplomacy fails. Iranian leaders have suggested that they might pursue a nuclear weapon based on growing uranium reserves enriched at levels near weapons grade.
The location for the next round of negotiations was officially set in Rome by an Italian government minister who had a secret meeting with The Associated Press. The minister said that the government agreed to hold the session after an initiative proposed by Oman, which has been brokering negotiations between the two governments.
Similarly, meeting secretly with media reporters in Osaka, Japan, Italy foreign minister Antonio Tajani also agreed that Italy had approved.
We received the invitation from the concerned parties, via Oman, which is playing the role of a mediator, and we reacted positively," Tajani said. "We are prepared, as always, to host meetings that can produce constructive outcomes, especially on the nuclear file.".
Neither Iranian nor U.S. officials officially announced the location, but Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei acknowledged Monday that the talks would likely be prolonged from Oman, where the initial session was held in Muscat during the weekend.
"The location of the second round of talks is not very important," Baghaei said in Tehran, addressing journalists.
IAEA Chief To Visit Iran Before Talks
Accompanying diplomatic pressure, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is set to travel to Iran on Wednesday night. He is going there to clear up concerns about Iran's nuclear activities and gain greater access for global inspectors.
Grossi took to X (previously Twitter) and wrote, "Continued engagement and cooperation with the Agency is essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed."
According to Iranian state media news agency IRNA, during his visit, Grossi will meet with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, as confirmed by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
Key Issues Remain: Sanctions Relief and Uranium Enrichment
The 2015 nuclear accord, which previously imposed harsh limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, hangs in the balance. The U.S. withdrew from the accord in 2018 under President Trump, and Iran has since withdrawn from it incrementally.
The principal problems haven't changed: Iran needs sanctions against its economy to be relaxed, but the U.S. and allies desire to rein in Iran's uranium enrichment and make Iran's nuclear programs more transparent.
They're both starting the next round of tricky talks—looking forward to a diplomatic solution, yet worried about stakes in case negotiations collapse.