Iran sounds upbeat after second round of nuclear talks with US
Shafaq News/ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed cautious optimism following a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States in Rome, describing the atmosphere as “relatively positive” and conducive to progress.
Araghchi posted on X, “The Rome talks enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal."
Relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal.We made clear how many in Iran believe that the JCPOA is no longer good enough for us. To them, what is left from that deal are "lessons learned". Personally, I tend to…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 19, 2025
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani also described the talks as positive, stating that Tehran welcomes any “practical initiative” that would lift sanctions and safeguard the rights of the Iranian people. She emphasized that the talks would remain within the purview of the Foreign Ministry and aimed at de-escalating tensions while laying the groundwork for future technical discussions.
Expert-level negotiations are expected to follow in the coming days.
The discussions, co-hosted by Italy and Oman, followed a first round held in Muscat a week earlier, where Araghchi led the Iranian delegation, while Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, headed the American side.
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the talks discussed a timeline for negotiations and possibly a general framework for a new agreement.
