Iran’s state TV calls second round of talks with US 'constructive'

A third round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place next week, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday, shortly after the country's state broadcaster announced the conclusion of the second round of negotiations in Rome.

The second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Rome has concluded, Iran's state broadcaster announced.

Live footage from the venue shows the US delegation has left the compound where the talks were being held.

Iranian negotiators have no plans to meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi during Saturday's nuclear negotiations with the United States in Rome, and he is not present at the talks, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday, citing a source close to the Iranian delegation.

“Grossi was in Tehran last week and held extensive discussions with relevant Iranian officials,” ISNA quoted the source as saying.

"No meeting between Grossi and the Iranian delegation in Rome is scheduled.”

The report added that only representatives from Iran, the United States, and Oman are present at the venue in Rome, adding that no other parties are involved in the current round of negotiations.

As nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States entered their second round in Rome on Saturday, Iran's top officials convened in Tehran for a joint meeting, bringing together the heads of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, according to state media.

The meeting was attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

Rome’s selection as a venue for nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States signals a bid by Italy to position itself as a diplomatic bridge in international crises, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Saturday.

“It recognizes a role that Italy has built up—anchored to historic alliances but open to dialogue with all,” Crosetto said during a visit in Taranto.

He added that Italy can serve as a venue “to build peace, to build security, to help create the conditions—even in parts of the world that feel closer than we realize—for ending conflict, ending war, and, in some way, ending terrorism.”