The second negotiation session between the Trump administration and Iranian officials will take place on Saturday in Rome, as both parties hope to continue working towards a nuclear deal.
In preparation for the meeting, President Donald Trump met with senior staff on Tuesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss the ongoing negotiations, Axios reported. Officials present reportedly included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and more.
This week, Trump also reportedly spoke with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, the leader of the country who mediated and hosted the first meeting.
“President Trump expressed his appreciation for the bilateral relations between the two countries and for Oman’s efforts in the ongoing negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Oman News Agency said in a statement.
Here’s what you need to know before the next round of talks.
First Meeting Recap
The first set of talks in Oman last Saturday was reportedly positive, with Iranian state-owned news outlet IRIB reporting they were conducted in a “constructive atmosphere based on mutual respect.” The talks went on for more than two and a half hours before the heads of the Iranian and American delegations spoke for a few minutes with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
The White House said Witkoff communicated that he received instructions from Trump to “resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible,” according to a White House statement.
“Special Envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome,” the statement added.
Oman, which also helped negotiate President Barack Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran, will continue mediating the talks at its embassy in Rome.
Military Threats If No Deal
While Trump has expressed his preference to resolve Iran’s nuclear challenges with diplomacy, he has threatened military force if a deal cannot be made. When announcing the talks earlier this month during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Iran could “be in great danger” if diplomacy failed.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger,” Trump said. “It’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, that’s all there is.”
Last month, during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Iran can be handled militarily or through negotiating a deal.
“I would rather negotiate a deal,” he added. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”
Hegseth said Trump is “dead serious” about preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and is open to options such as using the military.
“He wants it done peacefully, and that’s why he’s going straight to these talks,” Hegseth said. “But he’s also dead serious that if we can’t figure this out at the negotiating table, then there are other options – to include my department – to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb.”
Israeli Concerns
Netanyahu has been loudly opposed to any deal that grants Iran even a shred of nuclear capability — just as he was with the JCPOA, which he famously opposed in a 2015 joint address to Congress, against Obama’s wishes.
Netanyahu has taken credit for leading a global campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, including leading “countless overt and covert operations,” according to a Thursday statement from the prime minister’s office.
“[I]t is only due to these operations that Iran does not currently possess a nuclear arsenal,” the statement read. “These actions have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by approximately a decade.”
During his Oval Office meeting with Trump, Netanyahu said he would like to see Iran following the path of Libya’s 2003 deal, which led to the voluntary dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program. In a video statement released before departing the United States, Netanyahu said the agreement should be a “Libya-style agreement” where those authorities “go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision with American execution.”
According to a New York Times report, Trump rejected an Israeli proposal to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, amid internal clashes within his administration over whether military action or diplomacy was the better path forward.
On Thursday, Trump said he hasn’t necessarily “waved off” an Israeli plan to attack, but that he is “not in a rush” to greenlight it.
“If there’s a second option,” Trump said in the Oval Office when taking questions from reporters. “I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do.”
Netanyahu was criticized for the leak of the proposal to attack, which a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post was “one of the most dangerous leaks in Israel’s history.”
Israel’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, and Mossad Director David Barnea, had a low-profile meeting with Witkoff in Paris ahead of the Rome meeting. The two top Israeli officials reportedly sought to express their government’s concerns over pursuing a deal that would be similar to the JCPOA, Axios reported.
Netanyahu is set to issue a “special statement” on Saturday night following the talks and at the end of the Jewish Sabbath.
Iranian Nuclear Enrichment and the JCPOA
On Tuesday, Witkoff said that Iran “must eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” in a post on X, which was in contrast to his comments the day before when he left room for the Iranians to enrich uranium up to 3.67%.
“They do not need to enrich past 3.67%,” Witkoff said on Monday, recounting the first meeting in an interview with Fox News. “You do not need to run, as they claim, a civil nuclear program, where you are enriching past 3.67%, so this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program.”
An enrichment level of 3.67%is typical for fueling nuclear reactors for a civilian nuclear program, according to the Arms Control Association. The JCPOA had a 3.67% cap with several sunset periods that eventually permitted Iran to enrich up to any level and increase its stockpile to any level by 2031.
Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, calling it “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”
A February report from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran’s uranium stockpile is enriched to 60 percent purity — close to the 90 percent level considered weapon-grade. The total enriched uranium stockpile now stands at approximately 8,294 kilograms, vastly exceeding the deal’s cap of 300 kilograms.
Iran can currently produce enough weapons-grade fissile material to make a nuclear weapon in a week or two, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed in July 2024, adding that Iran had not yet produced a weapon to utilize the material.
Witkoff also said that there must be oversight of Iran’s armament capabilities such as its missiles, though a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded, stating “Iran’s military capabilities are a red line, we will never be willing to discuss this,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Meets Putin
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation, visited Russian President Vladimir Putin this week and discussed the negotiations. Though Russia does not have a direct seat at the table, Araghchi said during a news conference that he hopes “Russia will play a role in a possible deal.”
Last week, Araghchi published an op-ed in the Washington Post, stating that the Iranian regime is ready to make a deal with the United States. In response to Trump’s military threats if a deal cannot be made, Araghchi wrote that in order to move forward, there needs to be an agreement that there is no “military option” or “military solution.”
“The proud Iranian nation, whose strength my government relies on for real deterrence, will never accept coercion or imposition,” the foreign minister wrote.
On Wednesday, Araghchi said that the regime’s uranium enrichment was “non-negotiable.”
“Iran’s enrichment is a real, accepted matter,” he said. “We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable.”
He condemned what he claimed was “contradictory and conflicting positions” from the Trump administration, adding that “We will find out the true opinions of the Americans during the negotiation session,” he said.
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[[{“value”:”
The second negotiation session between the Trump administration and Iranian officials will take place on Saturday in Rome, as both parties hope to continue working towards a nuclear deal.
In preparation for the meeting, President Donald Trump met with senior staff on Tuesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss the ongoing negotiations, Axios reported. Officials present reportedly included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and more.
This week, Trump also reportedly spoke with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, the leader of the country who mediated and hosted the first meeting.
“President Trump expressed his appreciation for the bilateral relations between the two countries and for Oman’s efforts in the ongoing negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Oman News Agency said in a statement.
Here’s what you need to know before the next round of talks.
First Meeting Recap
The first set of talks in Oman last Saturday was reportedly positive, with Iranian state-owned news outlet IRIB reporting they were conducted in a “constructive atmosphere based on mutual respect.” The talks went on for more than two and a half hours before the heads of the Iranian and American delegations spoke for a few minutes with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
The White House said Witkoff communicated that he received instructions from Trump to “resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible,” according to a White House statement.
“Special Envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome,” the statement added.
Oman, which also helped negotiate President Barack Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran, will continue mediating the talks at its embassy in Rome.
Military Threats If No Deal
While Trump has expressed his preference to resolve Iran’s nuclear challenges with diplomacy, he has threatened military force if a deal cannot be made. When announcing the talks earlier this month during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Iran could “be in great danger” if diplomacy failed.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger,” Trump said. “It’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, that’s all there is.”
Last month, during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Iran can be handled militarily or through negotiating a deal.
“I would rather negotiate a deal,” he added. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other.”
Hegseth said Trump is “dead serious” about preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and is open to options such as using the military.
“He wants it done peacefully, and that’s why he’s going straight to these talks,” Hegseth said. “But he’s also dead serious that if we can’t figure this out at the negotiating table, then there are other options – to include my department – to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb.”
Israeli Concerns
Netanyahu has been loudly opposed to any deal that grants Iran even a shred of nuclear capability — just as he was with the JCPOA, which he famously opposed in a 2015 joint address to Congress, against Obama’s wishes.
Netanyahu has taken credit for leading a global campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, including leading “countless overt and covert operations,” according to a Thursday statement from the prime minister’s office.
“[I]t is only due to these operations that Iran does not currently possess a nuclear arsenal,” the statement read. “These actions have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by approximately a decade.”
During his Oval Office meeting with Trump, Netanyahu said he would like to see Iran following the path of Libya’s 2003 deal, which led to the voluntary dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program. In a video statement released before departing the United States, Netanyahu said the agreement should be a “Libya-style agreement” where those authorities “go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision with American execution.”
According to a New York Times report, Trump rejected an Israeli proposal to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, amid internal clashes within his administration over whether military action or diplomacy was the better path forward.
On Thursday, Trump said he hasn’t necessarily “waved off” an Israeli plan to attack, but that he is “not in a rush” to greenlight it.
“If there’s a second option,” Trump said in the Oval Office when taking questions from reporters. “I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do.”
Netanyahu was criticized for the leak of the proposal to attack, which a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post was “one of the most dangerous leaks in Israel’s history.”
Israel’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, and Mossad Director David Barnea, had a low-profile meeting with Witkoff in Paris ahead of the Rome meeting. The two top Israeli officials reportedly sought to express their government’s concerns over pursuing a deal that would be similar to the JCPOA, Axios reported.
Netanyahu is set to issue a “special statement” on Saturday night following the talks and at the end of the Jewish Sabbath.
Iranian Nuclear Enrichment and the JCPOA
On Tuesday, Witkoff said that Iran “must eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” in a post on X, which was in contrast to his comments the day before when he left room for the Iranians to enrich uranium up to 3.67%.
“They do not need to enrich past 3.67%,” Witkoff said on Monday, recounting the first meeting in an interview with Fox News. “You do not need to run, as they claim, a civil nuclear program, where you are enriching past 3.67%, so this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program.”
An enrichment level of 3.67%is typical for fueling nuclear reactors for a civilian nuclear program, according to the Arms Control Association. The JCPOA had a 3.67% cap with several sunset periods that eventually permitted Iran to enrich up to any level and increase its stockpile to any level by 2031.
Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, calling it “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”
A February report from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Iran’s uranium stockpile is enriched to 60 percent purity — close to the 90 percent level considered weapon-grade. The total enriched uranium stockpile now stands at approximately 8,294 kilograms, vastly exceeding the deal’s cap of 300 kilograms.
Iran can currently produce enough weapons-grade fissile material to make a nuclear weapon in a week or two, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed in July 2024, adding that Iran had not yet produced a weapon to utilize the material.
Witkoff also said that there must be oversight of Iran’s armament capabilities such as its missiles, though a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded, stating “Iran’s military capabilities are a red line, we will never be willing to discuss this,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Meets Putin
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation, visited Russian President Vladimir Putin this week and discussed the negotiations. Though Russia does not have a direct seat at the table, Araghchi said during a news conference that he hopes “Russia will play a role in a possible deal.”
Last week, Araghchi published an op-ed in the Washington Post, stating that the Iranian regime is ready to make a deal with the United States. In response to Trump’s military threats if a deal cannot be made, Araghchi wrote that in order to move forward, there needs to be an agreement that there is no “military option” or “military solution.”
“The proud Iranian nation, whose strength my government relies on for real deterrence, will never accept coercion or imposition,” the foreign minister wrote.
On Wednesday, Araghchi said that the regime’s uranium enrichment was “non-negotiable.”
“Iran’s enrichment is a real, accepted matter,” he said. “We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable.”
He condemned what he claimed was “contradictory and conflicting positions” from the Trump administration, adding that “We will find out the true opinions of the Americans during the negotiation session,” he said.
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