Israel says welcomes any US-Iran deal that stops Tehran's enrichment

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that the country's negotiators will engage in indirect talks with the US in Rome on Friday, adding that the team remains "determined and steadfast" in pursuing Iran's right to enrich uranium.

"We will spare no effort or initiative in this regard," Esmaeil Baghaei said.

"The E3, the European three, are on the verge of instituting snapback sanction provisions against (Iran) by October of this year," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate committee on Wednesday.

Britain, France and Germany - as signatories to a mostly lapsed 2015 nuclear deal with Iran - have until October to trigger United Nations sanctions on Tehran if they deem it non-compliant.

"If you asked Iran, they say, we're not interested in a nuclear weapon. We're just interested in enrichment," Rubio continued, justifying the US stance in ongoing talks against any Iranian uranium enrichment.

"The problem is that if you can enrich at any level, 3.67 or whatever, you're 80% of the way there. All that's required now is a few months or weeks of time to get to the weapons grade. It makes them a threshold of nuclear power."

Iran has asked Oman to intervene and help persuade the United States to ease its hardline position in the ongoing nuclear negotiations, two diplomatic sources in Tehran told Iran International.

Iran’s foreign ministry recently sent a message to Omani officials, urging them to implore Washington to soften its demands, the sources told Iran International on condition of anonymity.

“Given the dependency of Iran’s financial markets—currency, gold, and stocks—on the outcome of the negotiations, the message emphasized that a diplomatic compromise is possible if the United States moderates its position,” one source said.

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Oman's foreign minister Badr Al-Busaidi announced on Wednesday that the fifth round of Iran-US negotiations will be held in Rome on Friday, May 23.

The Trump administration has ruled out any Iranian uranium enrichment, calling it a red line in negotiations with the Islamic Republic — a condition Iran considers unacceptable.

Iran’s foreign ministry recently sent a message to Omani officials, urging them to implore Washington to soften its demands, the sources told Iran International on condition of anonymity.

“Given the dependency of Iran’s financial markets—currency, gold, and stocks—on the outcome of the negotiations, the message emphasized that a diplomatic compromise is possible if the United States moderates its position,” one source said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Tehran was reviewing the possibility of holding a new round of negotiations with Washington—an indication that Iran was awaiting a response from the US via Oman, the sources told Iran International.

Oman's foreign minister announced on Wednesday that Iran and the United States will hold the fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, May 23.

No clear alternative

Iranian officials, the sources added, are concerned about the absence of a clear diplomatic alternative if talks collapse.

There is currently no alternative strategy to manage the crisis and govern the country in the event of the negotiations’ failure, they said, stressing that maintaining the diplomatic track remains a priority for Tehran.

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing three unnamed Iranian sources, that the Iranian leadership has no clear contingency plan should the nuclear talks fail.

The sources suggested that while Iran might pivot toward China and Russia as an alternative strategy, such a path would be fraught with challenges. China is entangled in a trade war with the US, and Russia remains mired in its military conflict in Ukraine.

The alternative plan is simply to continue the pre-negotiation strategy, Reuters reported citing a senior Iranian official, suggesting that Iran would avoid escalating tensions while reinforcing ties with allies such as Russia and China

The UAE's state-owned The National reported on Monday citing two Iranian officials, that the negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled due to disagreements over uranium enrichment levels, and Tehran has not yet accepted Oman's invitation for a fifth round of talks with the US.

On Tuesday Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed US demands to halt uranium enrichment as “nonsense and excessive.” He also warned that the likelihood of successful negotiations remains low, signaling a toughening stance at the highest levels of the Islamic Republic.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Oman on May 27–28 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the president's office announced on Wednesday.

While Oman is mediating nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, the nuclear issue is not currently on the official agenda for Pezeshkian's visit.