Iran and the United States on Saturday agreed to hold another round of talks next week over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
This was as they ended their second round of negotiations in Rome over their decades-long standoff.
Iranian state TV reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff negotiated indirectly through an Omani official who will shuttle messages between the two sides.
Araqchi and Witkoff were said to have interacted briefly at the end of the first round, but officials from the two countries have not held direct negotiations since 2015 under former US President Barack Obama.
In a meeting with his Italian counterpart ahead of the talks, Araqchi said Iran had always been committed to diplomacy and called on all parties involved in the talks to seize the opportunity to reach a reasonable and logical nuclear deal.
“Such an agreement should respect Iran's legitimate rights and lead to the lifting of unjust sanctions on the country while addressing any doubts about its nuclear work,” Araqchi said
On Friday in Moscow, Araqchi said Iran believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the US is possible as long as Washington is realistic.
“Rome becomes the capital of peace and dialogue. I encouraged Araqchi to follow the path of negotiation against nuclear arms. The hope of the Italian government is that all together may find a positive solution for the Middle East,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X.
Tehran has however sought to tamp down expectations of a quick deal, after some Iranian officials speculated that sanctions could be lifted soon.
This week, Iran's utmost authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said he was neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic.
On his part, Trump told reporters on Friday: “I'm for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can't have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”
