Fifth Round of Iran–U.S. Talks Set for Rome on Friday

Iranwire – Oman’s Foreign Minister has announced that the fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States will be held in Rome on Friday.

Badr Albusaidi said on X that the negotiations are scheduled for May 23 in the Italian capital.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed the talks, noting that they would be held at Oman’s suggestion and conducted “indirectly.”

“Iran’s negotiating team remains determined and steadfast in pursuing the rights and interests of the Iranian nation to benefit from peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment and the lifting of sanctions,” Baghaei said.

Four previous rounds of Iran–U.S. talks have been held with Omani mediation – three in Muscat and one, the second round, in Rome.

The announcement follows recent doubts expressed by Iranian officials about continuing the negotiations, sparked by comments from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary of former President Ebrahim Raisi’s death, Khamenei said, “I do not think the negotiations will reach a result.”

Just hours earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that uranium enrichment on Iranian soil would continue “with or without an agreement.”

“Our position is completely clear – enrichment will continue with or without an agreement,” Araghchi told reporters at a memorial ceremony for officials killed in last year’s helicopter crash.

Araghchi said Iran was still considering whether to participate in the fifth round of nuclear talks.

His statement came in response to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s insistence that Iran should import enriched uranium rather than produce it domestically.

“If the parties want transparency regarding Iran’s peaceful program, we are ready, but in return, sanctions must be lifted,” Araghchi said.

“We have never abandoned diplomacy. We will always be present at the negotiating table, and the main reason for our presence is to defend the rights of the Iranian people,” he added. “We stand against excessive demands and rhetoric at the table.”