Iran says talks with US in Rome 'useful,' third round set for next Saturday

The second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Rome has concluded, Iran's state broadcaster announced.

Live footage from the venue shows the US delegation has left the compound where the talks were being held.

Iranian negotiators have no plans to meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi during Saturday's nuclear negotiations with the United States in Rome, and he is not present at the talks, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday, citing a source close to the Iranian delegation.

“Grossi was in Tehran last week and held extensive discussions with relevant Iranian officials,” ISNA quoted the source as saying.

"No meeting between Grossi and the Iranian delegation in Rome is scheduled.”

The report added that only representatives from Iran, the United States, and Oman are present at the venue in Rome, adding that no other parties are involved in the current round of negotiations.

As nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States entered their second round in Rome on Saturday, Iran's top officials convened in Tehran for a joint meeting, bringing together the heads of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, according to state media.

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The meeting was attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

Rome’s selection as a venue for nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States signals a bid by Italy to position itself as a diplomatic bridge in international crises, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Saturday.

“It recognizes a role that Italy has built up—anchored to historic alliances but open to dialogue with all,” Crosetto said during a visit in Taranto.

He added that Italy can serve as a venue “to build peace, to build security, to help create the conditions—even in parts of the world that feel closer than we realize—for ending conflict, ending war, and, in some way, ending terrorism.”

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Israel is the only obstacle to establishing a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying in a meeting with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani on Saturday morning.

Israel is known for possessing dozens of nuclear weapons, although it has never declared itself a nuclear power.

Araghchi, who is in Rome for the second round of talks between Iran and the United States, added that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that the country rejects weapons of mass destruction based on its religious, national, and defensive principles.

"Israel is driving Iranophobia and instability in the Middle East," ISNA semi-official news outlet quoted Araghchi as saying.

It added that Araghchi called on Europe and the international community to adopt a responsible stance free from such stereotypes against Iran.