Iran is waiting to see what may happen after the recent round of talks with the US in Rome. The fifth round of indirect talks have been shuttling back and forth between Rome and Oman. Over the last month and a half, there have been ups and downs. The round of talks on May 23 in Rome seemed to go well, but there is no clarity from Tehran on what may come next.
Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the talks had taken place in a professional manner. “Baqaei also said that all claims regarding the topics discussed in the negotiations, as published in foreign media, are just speculations and cannot be confirmed,” Iranian state media said. Baqaei also said that each round of talks comes with its own unique circumstances and sensitivities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has discussed the talks often on social media, even though he also claims it’s important not to discuss it in public. His most recent statements continue to hammer home Iran’s red line: Iran wants to keep enrichment capabilities.
Araghchi wrote on his X/Twitter social media account: “Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal.”
Is Iran flexible on the rest of the nuclear program?
Iran is likely flexible on the rest of the nuclear program, to some extent. For instance, it is willing to say it won’t pursue nuclear weapons because Iran has always said it doesn’t want nuclear weapons.
Araghchi was in Rome to represent his side, while US President Donald Trump has sent Steve Witkoff, who has been the point person for the US in these talks over the last two months. The talks are facilitated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi.
IRNA media in Iran said that “Baqaei, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi, and several other diplomats and experts are part of the delegation accompanying Araghchi.”
Iran is nonplussed by recent US sanctions on it. The US continues to target Iran’s trade with China and its attempt to develop drones and missiles. “The [Iranian] Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the United States multi-layered sanctions and coercive measures against Iran have all been calibrated to deprive each and every Iranian citizen of their basic human rights, and as such these sanctions are no less than crimes against humanity,” IRNA noted.