US and Iran make gradual progress towards peace; third round on April 26
.jpg)
Rome’s historic grandeur served as the backdrop for a delicate diplomatic dance between the United States and Iran, as the two nations held the second round of indirect nuclear talks on Saturday. In a carefully choreographed setup, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, separated by rooms and decades of mistrust, exchanged proposals through Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
The meeting, which went on for four hours, marked a key moment in efforts to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ease crippling US sanctions. "We’ve made very good progress," said a Trump administration official, echoing Araghchi’s cautiously optimistic note of "movement forward" and agreement on core principles.
The Roman rendezvous followed the first meeting between the two adversaries on April 12 in Muscat, Oman, where the same indirect format—delegates in separate rooms, Oman as a go-between—laid the groundwork. The Muscat talks, the first since the Obama era to see such high-level engagement, set a focused agenda: Iran’s nuclear programme and nothing else.
Araghchi, speaking after the Rome meeting, confirmed that the US steered clear of other issues, keeping the spotlight on uranium enrichment and sanctions relief. Both sides left Rome committed to a third round in Muscat on April 26, with Oman’s Foreign Ministry vowing to broker a "fair, enduring, and binding deal" that ensures Iran’s nuclear programme stays peaceful while freeing its economy from sanctions’ stranglehold.
Expert-level meetings will begin on April 23 in Oman. They are expected to explore the possibility of a framework for an agreement.
The Rome meeting was preceded by frenetic diplomacy. On April 18, Witkoff slipped into Paris for secret parleys with Israel’s Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mossad chief David Barnea. Israel, no fan of Tehran’s nuclear aspirations, touts its "overt and covert operations" as the bulwark against an Iranian bomb and eyes diplomacy with scepticism. Meanwhile, Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio huddled with the "E3"—France, Germany, and the UK—to weigh Iran’s breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal and also discussed the efficacy of sanctions. Across the globe, Araghchi courted Moscow’s support, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to ensure Russia’s backing for any new pact.
The stakes for Iran are really high. The rial, which plummeted past 1 million to the dollar in early April, has clawed back ground as talks progress, a lifeline for an economy gasping under sanctions. Yet, at home, Tehran grapples with unrest—women flouting mandatory hijab laws and whispers of fuel price hikes that could reignite protests.
Regionally, a rare visit by Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, who is the brother of Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, to Tehran signalled Riyadh’s bid to play peacemaker, a nod to cooling tensions between the Gulf rivals.
On April 17, Iran Air acquired two Airbus A330-200s, with US-made Rolls-Royce engine parts, pointing to some rapprochement as their sale needs American regulatory approvals. President Donald Trump, once a sanctions hawk who axed the 2015 deal, now treads a softer path. "I’d like Iran to live happily without death," he said on April 17, though he warned of "very bad" consequences if talks falter. As technical talks kick off in Oman on April 23 and the Muscat round looms, UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi calls this a "crucial" juncture.
Meanwhile, Omani ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is expected to visit Moscow on April 21 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The timing of the meeting seems definitely interesting as the US and Iran keep making progress towards peace through a process handheld by Oman.
Middle East