Iran’s foreign minister asked Washington to clarify its demands during the second round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Special US President Steve Witkov arrived in Rome on April 19 for second-round consultations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut, as President Donald Trump seeks a new contract to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the US from his 2015 contract, restricted Iran’s nuclear development, reimposed sanctions, and called for a new framework to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran has retreated from its commitment to curbing its uranium stockpile under its 2015 contract and limiting uranium enrichment to 3.67% purity.
Witkov, Trump’s envoy on the Middle East issue, held his last indirect talks with Aragut in Oman on April 12th. At this first meeting in Muscat, Omani diplomat Badr al-Busadi swept messages between US and Iranian representatives.
Trump said Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons. Washington and Tehran appear to be on different pages about other nuclear activities that Iran can continue to pursue.
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In a statement on April 15, Witkov said Iran “must halt and eliminate nuclear enrichment and weaponization programs.”
Responding on April 16, Araguchi said Washington provided conflicting statements about the terms of the negotiations. Iranian diplomats said Tehran would not abandon its uranium enrichment programme completely.
Iran’s foreign minister said he hopes Witkov will clarify the terms of Washington negotiations at his April 19 meeting in Rome.
In another comment at a Moscow press conference on Friday, Aragut said the new contract with the Trump administration would “express the seriousness of the intentions and not make unrealistic demands.”
Aragut traveled to Russia following his April 12 speech in Oman. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran intends to consult with all remaining political parties in the 2015 nuclear deal (Kaina, France, Germany, Russia and the UK).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will help promote continued consultations between Washington and Tehran.
“We are ready to play a valuable role from an Iranian perspective and a role that is acceptable to the US.
Standing next to Aragut at a press conference on Friday, Lavrov said Russia was also waiting for details on Trump’s expectations in the Roman speech.
“If they don’t provide unrealistic and impossible requests, we will probably reach an agreement,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
At the same time, Trump is trying to negotiate a new Iranian nuclear deal while mediating peaceful settlements in the ongoing Russia-Crain War.
Moscow has grown diplomatic ties with Tehran since 2022. This is because they face international sanctions and diplomatic isolation over Ukrainian invasion.
