US And Iran To Hold New Round Of Nuclear Talks

Despite the controversy surrounding "red lines".

Iranian and U.S. representatives will hold a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, May 23, despite a warning from Iran's supreme leader that a new deal could collapse amid a dispute over "red lines," Reuters reports Reuters.

The stakes are high for both sides. U.S. President Donald Trump wants to curb Tehran's nuclear program, as Iran obtaining nuclear weapons risks triggering a regional arms race. Tehran, for its part, wants to rid itself of crippling US sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's special envoy Steve Whitkoff will hold a fifth round of talks mediated by Oman, even though both Washington and Tehran have publicly taken a tough stance on uranium enrichment.

Tehran insists the talks are "indirect," but the Americans maintain that the talks, including the previous May 11 round in Oman, were "direct and indirect."

Both Tehran and Washington have said they prefer diplomatic methods to resolve the "nuclear dispute," but the sides' views diverge on a number of red lines. To reach an agreement and avoid a potential military conflict, they will have to resolve contentious issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said Washington was working to reach an agreement that would allow Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear program but not enrich uranium. Rubio acknowledged: reaching such an agreement will not be easy.

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who retains a key say in Tehran's state affairs, has rejected Washington's demands that it abandon uranium enrichment, warning that talks are unlikely to yield results.

Iran says it is willing to accept some limits on uranium enrichment but demands credible assurances that Washington will not renege on a future nuclear deal. Trump, who has renewed a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Tehran since February, pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six other nations during his first term in the White House, renewing broad U.S. sanctions against Tehran. Iran responded by expanding its nuclear program.

The cost of failed negotiations could be high. Although Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes, Iran's longtime foe, Israel, has said it will not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons. Media outlets have written that Israel is preparing potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations between the United States and Tehran fail. Also, according to media reports, Iran has no clear plan of action in case negotiations with the US and reaching a new nuclear agreement fail.

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