By Jennifer Hansler and Sophie Tanno, CNN

(CNN) — A second round of high-level talks between US and Iranian delegations on Tehran’s nuclear program has concluded in Rome on Saturday, amid tempered optimism about a diplomatic way forward.

Saturday’s negotiations came a week after an initial round was held in the Omani capital Muscat. Although the talks are in Italy, Oman was again acting as mediator between the US team, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and the Iranian one, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The Trump administration expressed optimism following the talks, pointing to “very good progress” and that they had “agreed to meet again” next week. “Today, in Rome, over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” a senior administration official told CNN.

Araghchi also signaled that the talks had been positive, telling reporters they lasted about four hours. “I can say that there is movement forward. We’ve reached better understanding and agreement on some principles and goals in these Rome negotiations,” he said.

However, Araghchi said the nuclear deal that was reached in 2015, known as JCPOA, between Iran and world powers, including the US, “is no longer good enough for us,” in a post on X on Saturday. “To them, what is left from that deal are ‘lessons learned,’ Araghchi said, adding that “for now, optimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution.”

Iranian officials say talks between technical experts would begin in Oman on Wednesday ahead of a third round of high-level talks on Saturday. “The two sides agreed to continue the indirect talks in [a] few days at [a] technical level to be followed by another round at their own level on coming Saturday,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X.

The third round of high-level talks will be held next Saturday, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Oman’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the meeting would take place in Muscat.

The two countries have had decades of animosity and long been in dispute about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Washington wants Iran to stop production of highly enriched uranium, which it believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb. Iran this week doubled down on its right to enrich uranium, but has suggested it is willing to negotiate some compromises in return for sanctions relief to ease the pressure on its hard-hit economy.

The second round of talks was set up in the same fashion as the first, according to the Iranian spokesperson, with the two sides not communicating directly with one another.

Instead, the delegates sat in separate rooms, with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi mediating between the two.

Witkoff and Araghchi only met briefly during the first round – not since the Obama presidency have the United States and Iran held full, direct talks.

Trump ‘not in a rush’ to strike Iran

The latest round was again a high-stakes engagement, and one that was preceded by a flurry of diplomatic activity as allies and adversaries alike seek to both understand and potentially influence the aims of the talks.

They come against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Iran’s network of proxies across the region has been weakened by Israeli attacks and US President Donald Trump has resumed the “maximum pressure” campaign of his first term against Iran.

Trump on Thursday suggested he was not eyeing imminent military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the threat still looms.

“I’m not in a rush to do it because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death,” he said when asked about a New York Times report that he had waved Israel off such military action.

“I’d like to see that, that’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran,” the US president added.

Ahead of the talks in Rome, Witkoff quietly met on Friday in Paris with Israel’s minister for strategic affairs and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidant Ron Dermer, and Mossad director David Barnea.

The Israeli government favors aggressive action against, not diplomacy with, Iran. Netanyahu’s office on Thursday argued Israeli “overt and covert operations” were the reason that “Iran does not currently possess a nuclear arsenal.”

US intelligence agencies warned that Israel will likely attempt to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, CNN reported in February.

Witkoff was in the French capital with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for discussions on Ukraine, and the two discussed the upcoming Iran meeting with the so-called “E3” allies – France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

“For the Europeans, they have an important decision to make very soon on snapback – on the snapback of sanctions – because Iran is clearly out of compliance with the current deal,” Rubio said on Friday. “That’s going to be a factor in all this and that’s why it was important we talk to them about it before our talks on Saturday.”

Araghchi visited Moscow before heading to Rome, meeting with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying he expected Russia to continue its “supportive” role in any new agreement.

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said during a visit to Iran that the talks are “in a very crucial” stage, adding, “we know we don’t have much time.”

Since the withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear deal during Trump’s first term, Tehran has far exceeded the limits it set on uranium enrichment, but has maintained it is not seeking a nuclear weapon.

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud also traveled to Tehran this week in one of the highest-level trips by a Saudi official in decades.

It was a visit to improve diplomatic ties between regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran and meant to signal that the Kingdom can play a role in de-escalation and brokering peace efforts, a source told CNN.

This source noted that the Saudis do not know what Trump plans in the talks with Iran, and that the assessment in Saudi Arabia is that they may be unpredictable and could be short-lived.

CNN’s Nic Robertson, Kareem El Damanhoury, Betsy Klein and Leila Gharagozlou contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.