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USA and Iran: Diplomacy in the nuclear dispute – negotiations in Rome!
Future nuclear talks between the USA and Iran on Friday in Rome: optimism despite existing differences over the nuclear program.
USA and Iran: Diplomacy in the nuclear dispute – negotiations in Rome!
On Friday, May 21, 2025, the fifth round of negotiations on the controversial nuclear dispute between the USA and Iran will take place in Rome. The announcement was made by Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi on the X platform. Oman is taking on the role of a mediator in these talks, which have become increasingly important in recent months.
There was a certain degree of optimism between the two sides at the start of the talks. However, significant differences emerged after the last meeting in Muscat. Analyst Gregory Brew of Eurasia Group noted that a continuation of talks would not be surprising despite the existing disagreements. However, he stressed that without agreement on a key issue, a comprehensive agreement remains unlikely.
point of contention in the negotiations
The main point of contention in Iran's nuclear program concerns its use. Iran insists that its program is exclusively for civilian purposes, while Western governments, particularly the United States, fear that Iran is working toward building a nuclear bomb. These concerns were further fueled when US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with military force if negotiations failed.
As part of the Vienna nuclear agreement, signed on July 14, 2015, Iran committed to significantly restricting its nuclear program. The agreement was signed by the P5+1 countries (USA, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, Germany) and the European Union with the aim of controlling Iran's nuclear program and gradually lifting economic sanctions. This agreement entered into force on January 20, 2016 and was approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Consequences of the US withdrawal from the agreement
But hopes for a long-term solution were significantly dented when Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Iran. These sanctions affected not only Iran directly, but also all countries and companies that did business with Iran. Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iranian nuclear activity also began to increase: Iran exceeded the deal's low-enriched uranium limits in July 2019 and declared in January 2020 that it would no longer abide by the deal's commitments.
Iran's nuclear violations and enrichment increases to up to 60% have significantly undermined international trust. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had confirmed by mid-2019 that Iran was complying with its commitments under the deal, but the situation has deteriorated dramatically since then. Critics of the agreement, such as the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, had already expressed concerns from the outset that Iran could work toward nuclear weapons despite its commitments.
The federal government and other international actors continue to strive to find a diplomatic solution. The possibility of the US government under President Biden returning to the agreement depends crucially on Iran's return to compliance with its contractual obligations. The negotiations in Vienna last took place from April to June 2021 and from November 2021 to March 2022, but were disrupted by Iran's rejection of compromise packages. There is no progress in the negotiations and the international community is closely monitoring developments.
Given the current situation and the existing differences, the outcome of the next round of negotiations in Rome will be followed with particular attention. It remains to be seen whether the parties involved can reach an agreement that could provide a lasting solution to the nuclear dispute.