Talks between Iran and the US over Tehran’s rapidly developing nuclear program appeared to be set to depart the Middle East on Monday.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Japanese journalists that the Italian government has agreed to hold talks, but an Iranian counterpart on Monday told the next talks “maybe somewhere outside of Oman.”
“That’s not an important issue,” Esmail Baghhai, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told journalists at a press conference in Tehran.
Neither Iran nor US authorities immediately approved the venue for the second round of negotiations, but Dutch Foreign Minister Kasper Verdkamp said the upcoming talks will take place in Rome.
Speaking at a meeting in Luxembourg, Verdkamp claimed that the meeting will take place on Saturday, April 19th.
However, due to the venue change, Oman, who held his first round talk on Saturday in Muscat, could continue to mediate between the two sides.
Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump welcomed the first round of talks, describing them as “positive” and “constructive.”
Trump said he hopes to make an Iran “very quickly.”
As the two countries approached the end of half-century of hostility, the negotiation interests did not rise.
If the deal does not reach it, Trump warned that the US could launch airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program, but Tehran officials said uranium stockpiles enriched to levels close to arms grade could be used to develop nuclear bombs.
Meanwhile, analysts say the US can provide sanctions relief to Iran’s bewildered economy, but it remains unclear how willing Iran will admit it.
Judging from negotiations since 2018, Iran is expected to seek to enrich uranium to at least 20%.
“There must definitely be a guarantee in regards to the fulfillment of our commitments,” Bagaei said Monday.
“The issue of guarantees is especially important given the history of past broken promises. God is pleased and the negotiation team will continue to work with all these factors and points in mind,” he added.
Later this week, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will travel to Iran for consultation.
After Trump unilaterally withdraws the US from the 2015 Landmark Nuclear Agreement, the IAEA continued to function in the Islamic Republic, even as the country’s government gradually reduced access to nuclear sites.
The IAEA helped to confirm Iran’s compliance with agreements with other signatories of the agreement.
“Continuous engagement and cooperation with agencies is essential when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed,” Grossi wrote in X’s post.
Additional sources •AP
