Rome hosts fresh Iran-US nuclear negotiations despite escalating rhetoric

The fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme has begun in Rome.

“The fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the US has started in the Italian capital,” Iran's ISNA news agency stated, marking the latest phase in ongoing efforts to revive a nuclear agreement and lift US-imposed sanctions on Iran.

These negotiations, which began on April 12, have been mediated primarily by Oman, with Qatar also playing a supporting role. Both Gulf states maintain close relations with Tehran and Washington and have facilitated dialogue as tensions around Iran’s nuclear activities continue to simmer. The most recent round before Rome took place on May 11 in Muscat, Oman, lasting approximately three hours.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei described the Muscat talks as “difficult but useful,” noting that they helped both sides gain a better understanding of each other’s positions and to begin exploring “realistic solutions.”

The talks are part of a broader diplomatic push to contain the fallout from the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear accord that aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The deal unraveled after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran. Iran, in turn, gradually rolled back its compliance with the deal.

However, the start of the Rome talks was overshadowed by Iran’s strong reaction to a new round of US sanctions, which were announced before negotiations resumed. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baqaei condemned the sanctions in unusually strong terms, calling them “outrageous,” “illegal and inhumane,” and accusing Washington of committing “nothing less than crimes against humanity” by depriving the Iranian people of basic human rights.

“These sanctions, announced on the eve of the fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the US, further call into question America’s readiness and seriousness regarding diplomacy,” Baqaei said.

Despite the escalating rhetoric, both sides have continued to engage in dialogue, suggesting that a diplomatic solution remains possible, even if progress is slow and fraught with setbacks.

By Tamilla Hasanova