US, Iran Hold Second Round of Talks, Agree to Third

Reports say the Donald Trump administration is divided on pursuing talks or war with Iran

US and Iranian officials engaged in talks over the weekend in Rome and agreed to more talks later in the week. President Donald Trump says he is only willing to engage with Tehran for a short period before a deal either has to be signed, or the US may attack Iran with Israel.

The second round of talks was held in Italy on Saturday, a week after the initial talks in Oman. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the talks were “indirect.”

An unnamed American official said the talks were advancing towards a deal. “Today, in Rome over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” a US official told CBS News. “We agreed to meet again next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks and to our Italian partners for hosting us today.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also described the talks as positive. “The talks were held in a constructive environment and I can say that is moving forward,” he said. “I hope that we will be in a better position after the technical talks.”

The third round of talks is scheduled to begin in Oman on Wednesday. The two sides plan to engage in lower-level “technical discussions.” Araghchi said higher-level talks would resume next Saturday.

The Trump administration says its top issue in the talks is preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. However, the US intelligence community admits that Tehran is not seeking to weaponize its civilian nuclear energy program.

Still, some members of the Trump administration are arguing that the Islamic Republic is in a weakened position, giving the US and Israel a unique opportunity to take out Iran’s civilian nuclear program by force.

Tehran appears to be attempting to reach a deal similar to the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal that Trump unilaterally exited seven years ago. Under that agreement, Iran agreed to additional limits and inspections of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from Washington and its allies.

At times, Trump has appeared receptive to this form of deal. “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with some members of the Trump administration have demanded that the Islamic Republic go further and completely dismantle its nuclear program and uranium enrichment capabilities.

The New York Times reported last week that Netanyahu has pushed for an attack on Iran, but Trump pushed back on the idea. On Saturday, Reuters spoke with Israeli officials who said Tel Aviv was still considering a strike on Iran, even without Trump’s endorsement.

An Iranian official said Tehran was aware that Tel Aviv was preparing an attack. “We have intelligence from reliable sources that Israel is planning a major attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.” The source adds, “This stems from dissatisfaction with ongoing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and also from Netanyahu’s need for conflict as a means of political survival.”

A potential deal has been endorsed by other nations in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia. Last week, high-ranking officials from the Kingdom traveled to Iran for talks on improving ties. Additionally, Riyadh said an agreement would enhance “peace in the region and the world.”

While talks are progressing, Trump has demanded negotiations move forward at a rapid pace. It is unclear if Tehran is moving fast enough to keep Trump from electing to move to a military option.

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.