US touts “very good progress” in Iran talks

“In Rome over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” a senior administration official told CNN.

“We agreed to meet again next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks and to our Italian partners for hosting us today,” the official added.

A third round of discussions is expected in Oman next Saturday, and talks between technical experts from both sides will begin on Wednesday, according to an Iran foreign ministry spokesperson.

The negotiations came a week after an initial round was held in the Omani capital of Muscat. Although the talks were in Italy, Oman was again acting as mediator between the US team, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Iranian one, led by Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Araghchi signaled that the talks had been positive, telling reporters they lasted about four hours.

“I can say that there is movement forward. We’ve reached better understanding and agreement on some principles and goals in these Rome negotiations,” he stated.