Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit Russia this week ahead of a planned second round of discussions between Tehran and Washington aimed at resolving Iran’s decades-long nuclear standoff with the West.
Araghchi and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, held talks in Oman on Saturday, with Omani envoy Badr al-Busaidi acting as a go-between, shuttling between the two delegations, who were seated in separate rooms at his palace in Muscat.
Both sides described the talks as positive, although a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the meeting “was only aimed at setting the terms of possible future negotiations.”
The second round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington is scheduled to take place in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday, as announced by Iran's state news agency IRNA. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also confirmed the plan.
Earlier on Monday, Italian news agency ANSA reported that Italy had agreed to host the second round of the talks, while Iraq’s state news agency mentioned that Araghchi had told his Iraqi counterpart that the talks would take place "soon" in the Italian capital, under Omani mediation.
Tehran has approached the negotiations with caution, expressing doubts over the likelihood of reaching an agreement. There is particular scepticism towards President Trump, who has previously threatened military action against Iran should a deal fail.
Washington’s primary aim in these talks is to halt Tehran’s sensitive uranium enrichment programme, which is seen by the United States, Israel, and European powers as a potential pathway to developing nuclear weapons. Iran, however, insists that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian energy production.
Baghaei mentioned that Araghchi will "discuss the latest developments related to the Muscat talks" with Russian officials in Moscow. Russia, a signatory to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, has consistently supported Tehran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme.
Despite his concerns, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the final say on critical state matters, has been forced to engage with Washington.
His motivation stems from the fear that public anger over the country’s economic troubles could lead to mass protests, potentially threatening the stability of the clerical regime, according to four Iranian officials who spoke to media in March.
The situation has been further complicated by Trump’s swift reintroduction of his “maximum pressure” campaign after his return to office in January. Trump’s administration had previously abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, reimposing harsh sanctions on Iran.
Since 2019, Iran has surpassed the limits set in the 2015 agreement for uranium enrichment, producing stocks of uranium at a high level of fissile purity. These levels are far beyond what is deemed necessary for a civilian energy programme and are nearing the thresholds required for nuclear warheads.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has raised alarms over Iran’s growing stock of 60% enriched uranium and reported a lack of progress in addressing several longstanding concerns, including traces of uranium found at undeclared sites.
To help address these issues, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday. Iranian media reported that Grossi’s visit aims to narrow the gap between Tehran and the agency regarding unresolved matters.
“Continued engagement and cooperation with the agency is essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed,” Grossi said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
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