Iran and US start 5th round of nuclear talks in Rome

Patrick Sykes and Golnar Motevalli, Bloomberg News on May 23, 2025

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The U.S. and Iran sent positive messages about their negotiations over President Donald Trump’s push to put limits on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programs following another round of talks Friday.

The discussions this week “were the most professional yet” and could lead to an agreement in the next couple of meetings, said Iranian Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi. A senior Trump administration official said the talks “continue to be constructive.”

“We made further progress, but there is still work to be done,” the official said, adding that both sides agreed to meet again in the near future.

“The fact that we’re on a reasonable path is progress in itself,” Araghchi said. “I’m hopeful that in the next one or two meetings, considering the improved view of Iran’s position, we’ll be able to reach solutions that can allow for progress in the talks.”

The mildly optimistic tone is likely to offset any oil-market jitters stemming from a CNN report earlier this week that Israel was making plans to potentially attack Iran’s nuclear sites. The State Department declined to comment on Monday.

Araghchi spoke after the two sides met in Rome on Friday for a fresh round of talks aimed at resolving their standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the discussions, offered solutions “in order to remove obstacles,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV.

There was no word yet on how to resolve the disagreement that sits at the center of the two sides’ dispute: the US says Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium at all, while Iranian officials say they must retain that right. Tehran says it doesn’t seek a nuclear bomb but wants fissile material to power nuclear-power plants.