Iran and the United States are preparing for the fifth round of talks on Iran's nuclear program in Rome today, with the main topic being uranium enrichment.
All US officials, from President Donald Trump onward, insist that Iran must never be allowed to continue enriching uranium, which would be a condition for an agreement that would lift sanctions on the Iranian economy.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an online message this morning that a complete ban on uranium enrichment would mean "no" agreement.
Aragshi wrote on the X network that it is not complicated to find a path to an agreement and that it is time to make a decision.
America will once again be represented at the negotiations in Rome by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and State Department policy planning director Michael Anton.
Officials did not say where the talks would take place, but one of the previous rounds held in Rome took place at the Omani embassy.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi is mediating the negotiations, as Oman is a trusted interlocutor of both Tehran and Washington.
The goal of the negotiations is to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the harsh economic sanctions the US has imposed on the country.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to order air strikes on Iran's nuclear program if a deal is not reached. Iranian officials have increasingly warned that they could seek to build nuclear weapons with their stockpile of uranium enriched to levels close to weapons-grade.
Uranium enrichment remains a key sticking point in the negotiations.
Witkoff at one point suggested that Iran could enrich uranium to 3,67 percent, but later began saying that all uranium enrichment must stop. Over time, the US hardened its stance on this.
Meanwhile, Israel is threatening to target Iranian nuclear facilities itself if it feels threatened, further complicating tensions in the Middle East already heightened by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi warned yesterday that Iran would take special measures to defend its nuclear facilities if Israel continues to threaten them, also warning the US that it would consider it an accomplice in any Israeli attack.
Yet despite the tough rhetoric from Iran, the country needs an agreement as its economy has been hit by sanctions.
The Trump administration also continues to impose new sanctions on Iran, including last week when the US banned the sale of sodium perchlorate to Iran. Iran reportedly received the chemical in shipments from China at its Shakid Rajai port near Bandar Abbas. A large unexplained explosion at the port killed dozens of people and injured more than 1.000 in April, during a round of Iran-US talks.
Bonus video:
