U.S. and Iran Resume Indirect Nuclear Talks in Rome

In a significant diplomatic development, the United States and Iran have resumed indirect talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme, marking a potential thaw in a long-frozen relationship.

The high-stakes discussions, brokered by Oman, began on Saturday in Rome—just a week after both sides called their initial round of talks in Muscat “constructive.”

The talks kicked off around 9:30 AM GMT at the Omani ambassador’s residence in the Italian capital. Iranian state television showed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arriving in Rome, while the U.S. delegation included Steve Witkoff, the Biden administration’s envoy for Middle East affairs.

Though the two parties did not meet face-to-face, they remained in separate rooms as Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi shuttled messages back and forth—classic diplomacy in a tense context.

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These latest efforts come after years of heightened tensions and a complete breakdown in official dialogue. The last time the two adversaries sat at the same negotiation table was before the U.S. withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal under then-President Donald Trump in 2018.

That decision saw Washington reimpose crippling sanctions on Iran, and in response, Tehran gradually ramped up its nuclear activities—fueling Western concerns that it could be inching closer to weaponization.

While Iran has repeatedly denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear programme serves peaceful civilian purposes, the international community—particularly the U.S.—remains skeptical.

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This renewed diplomatic engagement appears to be part of a larger strategy by Washington. According to reports, President Trump, upon returning to office in January, reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran.

In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for a return to negotiations while issuing a stark warning about the possibility of military action if diplomacy failed. “I’m not in a rush to use the military option,” Trump said last week. “I think Iran wants to talk.”

Iran, for its part, has expressed cautious optimism. Speaking after the first round of indirect talks in Muscat, Foreign Minister Araghchi noted that Iran had “observed a degree of seriousness” from the U.S. delegation. Still, he questioned Washington’s “intentions and motivations,” a sentiment echoed by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.

“We are aware that it is not a smooth path,” Baqaei wrote in a social media post early Saturday, “but we take every step with open eyes, relying also on the past experiences.”

Oman continues to serve as a crucial mediator in these delicate talks. Known for its neutral diplomatic posture in a region rife with geopolitical rivalries, Oman has hosted multiple rounds of quiet negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the years.

Its foreign minister, Albusaidi, has become the go-to intermediary, especially when direct contact between the two countries remains politically impossible.

Adding to the geopolitical complexity, Oman’s leader Sultan Haitham bin Tariq is scheduled to visit Moscow in the coming days. The Kremlin confirmed that the Sultan will meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss global and regional issues—including, possibly, the unfolding U.S.-Iran dialogue.

At its core, the renewed negotiations aim to prevent a further escalation in tensions that could destabilize the Middle East and threaten global energy supplies. A successful outcome could restore limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for economic relief—something the Iranian economy, battered by years of sanctions, desperately needs.