US-Iran talks gaining momentum, says Omani FM

The US-Iran talks are “gaining momentum”, Omani foreign minister Badr Albusaidi said after two rounds of his country’s mediation of the negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

“I would like to thank Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff for their highly constructive approach to the talks today. These talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible,” Albusaidi said on X.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has hailed the “relatively positive atmosphere” during the second round of talks in Rome, saying he is cautiously optimistic on the prospects of the talks.

“Relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal,” Araqchi wrote in a post on his X page on Saturday night, according to IRNA.

According to Araqchi, the Iranian side made clear during the talks that many Iranians believe that the 2015 Iran deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is “no longer good enough for us.”

“To them, what is left from that deal are ‘lessons learned,’” he said, adding that he tends to agree with that view.

He was referring to the unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and imposition of “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran despite the fact that Iran had fully honored its commitments to the accord.

The Iranian foreign minister also said that expert level talks will begin in the coming days, after which “we will be in a better position to judge.”

“For now, optimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution,” he added.

The Rome talks were a follow-up of negotiations held last Saturday in Muscat, Oman. During both rounds, the Iranian delegation was led by Araqchi and the U.S. team was headed by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy.

The Trump administration expressed optimism following the talks, pointing to “very good progress” and that they had “agreed to meet again” next week. “Today, in Rome, over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” a senior administration official told CNN.

Trump, who ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers during his first term in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign on the country since returning to the White House in January.

Washington wants Iran to halt production of highly enriched uranium, which it believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb. Iran has denied developing nuclear weapons.

Tehran, which has always maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful, says it is willing to negotiate some curbs in return for the lifting of sanctions.