Iran lays out principles for nuclear deal with US as talks resume in Rome

Adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says negotiators were sent to meeting with 'nine principles'

Vehicles of the US delegation are escorted by Italian police as they arrive at the Omani embassy in Rome for the second round of nuclear talks with Iran. AFP

Iran wants a nuclear deal with the US to include provisions to contain Israel and facilitate investment, a senior official said on Saturday as the two sides met in Rome for a second round of talks.

Iranian negotiators have been given "full discretion" to pursue a "comprehensive" deal based on nine principles, Ali Shamkhani, political adviser to the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X.

The principles are seriousness, assurance, balance, the removal of sanctions, the avoidance of threats, speed, "the containment of nuisances (such as Israel)" and the facilitation of investment, as well as the rejection of the so-called Libyan model, he said.

“Iran is there for a balanced agreement, not to surrender,” Mr Shamkhani said.

The Libyan model, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed as way to avert strikes by his country to prevent Iran developing atomic weapons, refers to Libya's surrender of its nuclear capabilities in 2003.

The US and Iran are looking at a framework for negotiations during the talks in Rome, aiming to reach an agreement to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme and perhaps limit its regional influence.

The talks began around noon and are being led by Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi.

Before the talks in the Italian capital, Tehran insisted that Omani mediators would carry its messages to the American side, despite the discussions being held in Europe.

“Like the first round, this meeting will also be held indirectly, mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

“Rome was chosen as the location for the talks upon Oman’s suggestion and with the agreement of both Iran and the US. Oman, in co-ordination with the Italian government, arranged the logistical details,” it added.

Oman played a role in initiating the negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers. Omani state media announced on Saturday that Sultan Haitham bin Tariq would be travelling to Russia on Monday, days after Mr Araghchi visited Moscow.

The Iranian Foreign Minister held talks in the Russian capital on Friday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who said Moscow would be willing to play a role in the current negotiations.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said his country is looking for a framework for further talks. “We are aware that it is not a smooth path but we take every step with open eyes, relying also on the past experiences,” he wrote on X.

On Wednesday, Victoria Taylor, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran, confirmed that Saturday's round of talks was expected to set out a framework for negotiations.

“The best way for Iran to obtain economic relief and seek the removal of sanctions is to halt the activities that led us to impose them in the first place,” she said, referring to Iranian support for armed groups.

Members of Iranian armed forces march during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran. Reuters

The talks began last Saturday in Muscat after President Trump vowed to fully exert his “maximum pressure” policy on Iran. Tehran is seeking relief from economic sanctions that have severely affected its economy.

Western countries, including the US, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Tehran has consistently denied the claims, insisting its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

'Enrichment is non-negotiable'

Mr Witkoff said in a post on X this week that Iran “must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponisation programme”. Only hours earlier, he added that a new deal could allow Iran to enrich uranium up to 3.67 per cent – the limit sufficient for civilian use set in the 2015 nuclear deal, which expires later this year.

Mr Araghchi responded by saying the “issue of enrichment is non-negotiable.”

Iran began breaching that limit in 2019, a year after Mr Trump, in his first term as president, pulled the US out of the 2015 pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activity.

Tehran has increased its enrichment to 60 per cent, a short technical step from producing weapons-grade uranium, and has stockpiled enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

US President Donald Trump and Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AP

Its director general, Rafael Grossi, visited Tehran on Wednesday and held talks with Mr Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. “We know we don't have much time. So this is why I'm here. This is why I'm in contact with the United States as well,” Mr Grossi told Iranian media.

The French Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Friday that the window of opportunity for the US and Iran to strike a deal on a new nuclear pact is rapidly closing. Though Europe is not directly involved in the talks, officials on the continent are closely monitoring developments. France, Germany and the UK, collectively known as the E3, were parties to the 2015 JCPOA.

Saturday's talks signal a “shared desire to seek a negotiated solution”, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said during a press briefing, responding to a question from The National.

“Time is of the essence because we are approaching the 10th anniversary of the agreement,” he said, in a reference to Europe possibly reinstating sanctions on Iran before October, when the JCPOA expires.

“The window of opportunity is shrinking day by day,” Mr Lemoine added. “But we are not ruling out any possibility of being able to continue discussions, and hoping to reach an agreement.”