Enrichment clash in focus as Iran, US set for contentious talks in Rome
Ahead of the Saturday meeting, Iran's foreign minister met with the Russian president in Moscow as Tehran sought consultation on how to push back against American pressure to fully dismantle its nuclear program.
TEHRAN — Iranian nuclear negotiators are heading to Rome for a second round of talks with their American counterparts on Saturday amid growing uncertainty over how the high-stakes diplomacy will unfold.
While the first round in the Omani capital on April 12 ended with positive remarks from both sides, the second meeting is expected to be shaped by more concrete debates on thorny issues.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while addressing reporters following a cabinet meeting in Tehran, declared that Iran's right to maintain its nuclear program and enrich uranium is "an accepted reality" that remains nonnegotiable.
A day earlier, his negotiating counterpart and US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, posted on X that Iran must eliminate its nuclear enrichment, seemingly walking back his comment in a Fox News interview in which he voiced US openness for Iran reserving enrichment at the 3.67% level.
