Officials from the U.S. and Iran struck an optimistic note Friday after a fifth round of nuclear talks between the two countries wrapped up in Rome.
“We have just completed one of the most professional rounds of talks,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state television. “The fact that we are now on a reasonable path, in my view, is itself a sign of progress.”
A senior U.S. official, Reuters reports, said, “The talks continue to be constructive—we made further progress, but there is still work to be done.” The official said the talks, which Oman mediated, lasted over two hours.
Washington and Tehran are trying to strike a deal that would give Iran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear energy program.
Ahead of the meeting, the countries’ respective negotiating positions seemed far apart after special envoy Steve Witkoff, who leads the U.S. delegation, insisted in a Sunday interview that Iran cease enriching uranium as part of a deal.
Analysts and Iranian officials say that demand is a non-starter for Tehran, but that a deal remains achievable if Washington instead pursues a verification regime that ensures Iran doesn’t build nuclear weapons.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week called the demand to stop enriching uranium “excessive and outrageous” and questioned the value of diplomacy with the U.S.
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