'We are going to succeed,' US says of Iran nuclear talks

Negotiations centre on Iran's enrichment levels

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office. Reuters

The US is confident that nuclear talks with Iran are on the right track, the State Department said on Thursday, before the start of a fifth round of negotiations.

US senior adviser and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and policy planning director Michael Anton will travel to Rome on Friday for talks that will focus on Iran's nuclear enrichment goals. The US wants Iran to stop all uranium enrichment, while Tehran insists it needs to maintain some levels for civilian purposes.

“The fifth round of the nuclear talks would not be happening if we didn't think that there was potential [to reach a deal],” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “I would say that clearly we believe that we are going to succeed.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump believes talks are “moving along in the right direction”.

“This deal with Iran could end in two ways: it could end in a very positive diplomatic solution, or it could end in a very negative situation for Iran, so that's why these talks are taking place this week,” Ms Leavitt told reporters.

Mr Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran that the US would never accept it having a nuclear weapon, while promising a brighter future for the country if it agrees to a deal.

Friday's talks come as US ally Israel has threatened military action against Iran. On Tuesday, CNN reported that Israel was preparing to attack Iranian nuclear sites, even as talks with the US continue.

“We believe that in the event of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime, the US government will also be involved and bear legal responsibility,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter to the UN.

“Iran strongly warns against any adventurism by the Zionist regime and will respond decisively to any threat or unlawful act by this regime.”

A 2015 deal with Iran, which was negotiated by former president Barack Obama, allowed Iran to enrich uranium at low levels solely for civilian energy.

Iran now enriches uranium to 60 per cent, far above the 3.67 per cent limit set in the 2015 deal, but below the 90 per cent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Mr Trump pulled out of Mr Obama's deal in 2018, during his first term, and has vowed a tougher replacement.

“Iran cannot have an enrichment capability, because that ultimately makes them a threshold nuclear power,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

But Mr Araghchi said on state television that “there are still fundamental differences between us”, warning “we will not have an agreement at all” if the US wants to stop Iran enriching uranium entirely.