Author: Mike Nova

ROME — Talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program appeared ready Monday to leave the Middle East, as an Italian source said the next round of negotiations would take place in Rome.

Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog separately confirmed he would be taking a trip to Iran later in the week, possibly to discuss ways to improve access for his inspectors to Tehran’s program.

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The stakes of the negotiations couldn’t be higher for the two nations closing in on half a century of enmity. U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Read More: Why Trump’s Iran Diplomacy May Work

A source in the Italian government confirmed that the next round would take place in Rome on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The person’s comments came as Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani separately told journalists in Osaka, Japan, that the Italian government has given its OK to host the talks.

“We received the request from the interested parties, from Oman, which plays the role of mediator and we gave a positive response,” Tajani said. “We are ready to welcome, as always, meetings that can bring positive results, in this case on the nuclear issue.”

Both Iranian and U.S. officials did not immediately acknowledge the venue of the second round of negotiations. However, it’s likely that Oman, which hosted the first round of talks on Saturday in Muscat, would continue to mediate between the two sides.

“The next round of talks will probably be held somewhere other than Oman,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told journalists on Monday in Tehran. “It’s not an important matter.”

IAEA chief to head to Iran ahead of talks

The talks will follow a visit by Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Iran later this week.

The IAEA played a key role in verifying Iran’s compliance with its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and has continued to work in the Islamic Republic, even as the country’s theocracy slowly peeled away its access after Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018.

“Continued engagement and cooperation with the Agency is essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed,” Grossi wrote on X.

Grossi will arrive in Iran on Wednesday night and will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, the state-run IRNA news agency reported, quoting Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister.

Sanctions relief and enrichment remain top issues

The 2015 nuclear deal saw Iran agree to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and only enrich up to 3.67% — enough for its nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Today, Iran enriches up to 60%, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels and has enough stockpile for multiple nuclear bombs, should it choose to build them.

The deal lifted economic sanctions on Iran and unfroze assets around the world. The deal’s collapse refroze those funds and limited Iran’s ability to sell crude oil abroad — though it still sells to China, likely at a sharp discount.

While the U.S. can offer sanctions relief for Iran’s beleaguered economy, it remains unclear just how much Iran will be willing to concede. Judging from negotiations since 2018, Iran will likely ask to keep enriching uranium up to at least 20%. However, neither side has offered any public statements about what it is specifically seeking in the talks.

“There must definitely be guarantees in place regarding the fulfillment of commitments,” Baghaei said Monday. “The issue of guarantees is especially important given the history of broken promises in the past. God willing, the negotiating team will continue its work with all these factors and points in mind.”

He added: “As long as the language of sanctions, pressure, threats, and intimidation continues, direct negotiations will not take place.”

However, Abbas and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff did meet and speak face to face after some two hours of indirect talks mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi.

Speaking to journalists on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he met with Witkoff and that his envoy had “very good meetings on the Middle East.”

“We’ll be making a decision on Iran very quickly,” Trump said, without elaborating.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers David Biller and Giada Zampano in Rome and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/