They put it on repeat: Iran and the United States continue to revive the nuclear deal
The second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran took place in Rome. On April 19, the parties continued to discuss the issues raised in Muscat a week ago, but with a strong focus on specific points of the hypothetical agreement. Both Tehran and Washington brought "instructions" from partners to the Rome meeting, some of whom had previously participated in the conclusion of the first nuclear deal. However, while the Iranian position remains "monolithic," there is still a noticeable movement within the American team, provoked, among other things, by outside advice.
How was the meeting in Rome?
Despite the fact that Rome was chosen as the meeting place this time, the diplomatic corps of Oman remained the organizer of the negotiations. He also provided the arriving teams with a platform — the meeting was held at the residence of the Sultanate's ambassador to Italy.
There were also no changes in the composition of the delegations — they were led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (Iran) and Special envoy of the head of the White House Steve Witkoff (USA). At the same time, the parties maintained an indirect nature of interaction, remaining in different halls, and the transmission of messages was provided by Oman's Foreign Minister Badra al-Busaidi.
The new round lasted about four hours, a little more than the first one. Although the sources initially announced a five—hour meeting and the possibility of connecting "additional participants" - for example, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi or US Vice President Jay Dee Vance. Contrary to numerous press reports, neither side left the meeting ahead of schedule or caused a scandal. The negotiations were constructive and "in a positive atmosphere."
The third meeting is scheduled for April 26, but additional contacts between the countries on related issues are possible.
Both Tehran and Washington have maintained a certain "continuity" of statements compared to the first round.
The American side continues to insist that it is aiming for a "strong agreement." One that guarantees that Iran will not get nuclear weapons. In exchange, the United States is ready to ease sanctions and military pressure on Tehran. The Iranian side is once again broadcasting the thesis about the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program and demanding stricter guarantees of compliance with the agreements, for example, the ratification of a new version of the agreement by the US Congress, which will complicate the possibility of a unilateral withdrawal from it.
It is worth emphasizing that there is still no unified position within the American negotiating team regarding the future of the Iranian "atomic dossier": if Witkoff is cautious and even optimistic in some places, then Rubio, who is also actively involved in building the deal, is more inclined to support a forceful scenario. Given that not only the contours of the nuclear program themselves are at stake, but also issues related to the development of Iran's missile potential (and the military-industrial complex as a whole), economic and political issues, the "jerkiness" of American diplomacy is understandable. Washington will probably try to bring it to a "common denominator" by the next round, so as not to provoke uncomfortable questions.
The Iranians, on the other hand, leave the question of the future of the deal open, evasively answering that they are equally ready for "moving along the diplomatic path" and for alternative, more pessimistic scenarios.
Consultations with Russia
Despite the fact that the second round largely repeated the contours of the first, the preparations for it turned out to be more detailed: the delegations held consultations not only within their countries, but also with external players monitoring the resuscitation of the nuclear deal.
On April 18, for example, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, where a lot of attention was paid to the peaceful atom. Among other things, Lavrov stressed that Russia is ready to play any role in the agreements between Iran and the United States that will be useful to Tehran. According to the Russian side, this will strengthen the stability of guarantees and maximize the effect of the mediation work already done by Oman.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi at a joint press conference following the meeting
Lavrov also expressed concern about attempts by some forces to "burden" the negotiations between the United States and Iran with extraneous issues related, for example, to the future of the pro—Iranian "Axis of Resistance" in the Middle East. Although this gives the negotiations scale and creates the appearance of active bilateral work, it actually complicates the search for a compromise.
The Iranian negotiators did not hold public meetings with the Chinese side before leaving for Rome, although Tehran takes into account Beijing's position along with Russia's. In defending its line, Iran relies in part on the "Five Settlement Points" formulated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the trilateral meeting in Beijing in March 2025. These include the lifting of illegal sanctions, support for peaceful nuclear energy initiatives, the restoration of the nuclear deal within its general framework, the inclusion of the United Nations in the settlement process as a "third-party arbitrator" and coordination of the positions of all the guarantors of the deal without exception, without attempts to put pressure on Tehran.
Negotiations in Paris
The Americans also held consultations with their partners. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff initiated a series of meetings in Paris with colleagues from the Eurotroika (France, Germany, Great Britain), where the topic of the Iranian "atomic dossier" was among the leading ones. At one stage, representatives of Israel, represented by Ron Dermer, Minister of Strategic Affairs, and David Barnea, head of the MOSSAD intelligence service, were invited to the conversation. Tel Aviv initiated the contacts.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barraud, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and German Foreign Ministry Political Director Gunther Zautter attend a meeting on the Quai d'Orsay.
The series of meetings in Paris can fairly be called a "concert of pessimists," since most of the European partners do not share the optimism of the American negotiators. It is noticeable that the countries of the "eurotroika" are trying to escalate the situation around the Iranian nuclear program, as they are not satisfied with the role that Washington has assigned them in the new negotiating model on Tehran's "atomic dossier." And at least by the fact that Europe was among the last to learn about plans to hold a meeting in Oman. This, coupled with promises in the coming months to tighten European sanctions against Iran if no sustainable agreements are reached, has a negative impact on the negotiating atmosphere.
Europe is not alone in its assessments. Israeli representatives also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Washington and Tehran are moving towards the same contours of the nuclear deal that was signed by the administration of Barack Obama in 2015. Even taking into account some symbolic concessions, which are alternately discussed by both sides, the basis of the agreement remains the same.
It is noteworthy that in assessing the viability of a hypothetical nuclear deal, the government camp and the opposition are in solidarity — in their opinion, Tehran uses negotiations with the United States as a "screen" to increase the security of nuclear facilities and make conducting a military operation against them impractical: Trump risks repeating the mistakes of his predecessors.
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