- Iran’s Khamenei says negotiations unlikely to lead to any outcome.
- Secretary of state hopes US can reach agreement with Iran.
- Iran says its right to enrichment is “non-negotiable”.
MUSCAT: The fifth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is set to take place on Friday in Rome, mediator Oman announced.
Iran and the United States have held four rounds of Omani-mediated nuclear talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington abandoned the 2015 nuclear accord.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said: “The 5th round of Iran-US talks will take place in Rome this Friday.”
The talks aim for a new agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the negotiations were unlikely to “lead to any outcome. We don’t know what will happen”.
His remarks came amid a diplomatic standoff over the Islamic republic’s enrichment activities.
Denying Iran’s right to enrich uranium was “a big mistake”, Khamenei warned.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate hearing in Washington that “we hope that we can reach an agreement with Iran”.
Iran has repeatedly insisted its right to maintain uranium enrichment was “non-negotiable”, while chief US negotiator Steve Witkoff has called it a “red line”.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, far above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90% needed for a nuclear warhead.
