The fifth meeting between Iran and the United States on the nuclear program concludes: 'Inconclusive results'
Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of talks on Iran's nuclear program in Rome on Friday, "with some progress but no conclusive results," an Omani mediator said.
"We look forward to clarifying the outstanding issues in the coming days, in order to move towards the common goal of achieving a lasting and dignified agreement," Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi wrote on X.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi declared that talks with the United States are "complicated."
"The negotiations are more complicated than can be resolved in two or three meetings," said the minister, who leads the negotiating delegation in Tehran.
Abbas Araqchi and Donald Trump. Photo: Social media and EFE.
The rival countries began negotiations on April 12 and held their final meeting on May 11, which both sides described as "encouraging" and "useful."
However, before the fifth meeting in Rome, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, called the US stance on uranium enrichment "nonsense" and "foolishness" and predicted that negotiations with his arch-enemy would go nowhere.
“Zero nuclear weapons = we have a deal. Zero enrichment = NO deal,” said Iranian Foreign Minister and chief negotiator Abbas Araqchi before leaving for Rome.
Iran enriches uranium to 60%, well above the 3.67% limit set in the international agreement reached in 2015 with the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Despite these tensions, US President Donald Trump believes that nuclear talks with Iran are moving "on the right track," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, according to whom the president discussed the negotiations in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
White House Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (third left). Photo: AFP
This Friday, the United States special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, abandoned negotiations, but talks continue between officials from both countries, according to IRNA.
“Steve Witkoff, head of the US delegation, left the negotiations a few minutes ago,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said after a meeting of about three and a half hours.
The diplomat indicated that Witkoff left because he had “a flight planned.”
*With information from Efe and AFP.
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