Oman proposal may offer path forward in Iran-US talks, says Araghchi

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said negotiations between Iran and the United States in Rome "are still underway at the expert level in a calm yet professional atmosphere."

"Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also holding talks with his Omani counterpart," Esmaeil Baghaei told Iran’s state TV.

He confirmed that US chief negotiator Steve Witkoff had left the venue due to flight scheduling but added that the talks continue with Omani mediation.

The Iranian negotiating team has been instructed not to proceed with any talks that include proposals to halt or reduce uranium enrichment to zero, Iran International has learned.

According to information obtained by Iran International, a formal directive was issued to the delegation ahead of the fifth round of indirect negotiations with the United States in Rome.

The order said any discussion of ending enrichment is off-limits, and negotiators are required to reject such proposals outright.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s televised interview, aired the night before the talks began, was part of this coordinated approach.

The appearance, organized in consultation with the Supreme National Security Council and the sanctions negotiations committee, aimed to publicly reinforce Tehran’s red lines and manage expectations over a possible failure of the Rome talks.

The messaging also sought to frame the US as responsible should the talks collapse, by emphasizing Iran’s refusal to abandon what it views as its core nuclear rights.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei this week dismissed US statements forbidding Iranian enrichment, and US secretary of state Marco Rubio gave his most detailed explanation yet about Washington's opposition to Iran's domestic capacity to do so.

Iran’s participation in the fifth round of talks in Rome on Friday is solely to gauge Washington’s latest stance rather than pursue a potential breakthrough, the sources cited by CNN added.

“The media statements and negotiating behavior of the United States has widely disappointed policy-making circles in Tehran,” CNN quoted the two Iranian sources as saying in a joint message.

“From the perspective of decision-makers in Tehran, when the US knows that accepting zero enrichment in Iran is impossible and yet insists on it, it is a sign that the US is fundamentally not seeking an agreement and is using the negotiations as a tool to intensify pressure.”

They added that while some Iranian officials initially hoped for a “win-win” compromise, a consensus has since formed that the Trump administration is pushing the talks toward deadlock.

Asked by a CNN reporter about the sources' comments before publication on Thursday, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the resumption of talks was the most important thing.

"It's gossip," she told reporters. "Some people don't have an interest in (talks' success), and that's where you get unnamed sources from.

"What is the story and what matters is that everyone is at the table in Rome."

With the current US position, the sources told CNN, the negotiations are becoming unproductive and may not continue much longer.

The sources said Tehran no longer takes seriously US efforts to distance itself from Israel’s position and believes the American proposals follow the agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has demanded that Iran be barred from all uranium enrichment.

According to information obtained by Iran International, a formal directive was issued to the delegation ahead of the fifth round of indirect negotiations with the United States in Rome.

The order said any discussion of ending enrichment is off-limits, and negotiators are required to reject such proposals outright.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s televised interview, aired the night before the talks began, was part of this coordinated approach.

The appearance, organized in consultation with the Supreme National Security Council and the sanctions negotiations committee, aimed to publicly reinforce Tehran’s red lines and manage expectations over a possible failure of the Rome talks.

The messaging also sought to frame the US as responsible should the talks collapse, by emphasizing Iran’s refusal to abandon what it views as its core nuclear rights.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Friday that the fifth round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States is a continuation of negotiations that began in April and will address recent US sanctions.

“It is natural that every round has its own sensitivities, especially in light of contradictory statements by US officials and the new wave of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic,” Baghaei told Iranian state media in Rome.

He said the Iranian delegation, led by the foreign minister, is committed to defending Iran’s rights at the talks.

“I must emphasize that the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is seriously and firmly fighting for the rights of our country — for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the lifting of brutal sanctions."