By Sama Marwan,
Later today, Saturday, indirect talks will begin in the Italian capital, Rome, between Iran and the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear program, with Oman acting as a mediator.
This round of talks follows the first indirect meeting held earlier this month in the Omani capital, Muscat, which was described by the parties involved as “constructive.”
On the Iranian side, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, will represent the country, while the U.S. side will be represented by Steve Biegun, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran, in hopes of reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced yesterday that his administration wants to see a “prosperous Iran, not a nuclear-armed Iran.”
In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from a deal Iran had struck in 2015 with six major countries (the UK, France, Germany, the U.S., Russia, and China), which led to the re-imposition of economic sanctions on Iran. The 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Since Trump’s return to power in January, the U.S. has pressured Iran to stop its uranium enrichment to a level that could enable it to produce nuclear weapons. However, Tehran consistently insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has called for the lifting of economic sanctions.
