Tehran, Iran
CNN
–
Iran and the US are scheduled to launch a fifth-round high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome on Friday amid growing skepticism in Tehran about possible deals to strengthen its position.
Two Iranian sources have told CNN that the talks are unlikely to lead to an agreement, and the US claims that Tehran is dismantling its uranium enrichment program.
Sources said Iran’s participation in the Rome talks will be to measure Washington’s latest stance, rather than pursuing a potential breakthrough.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut repeated the red line of Tehran before departing for Rome on Friday.
“Listening to the path to trade is not rocket science,” he posted to X before the flight. “Zero nuclear weapons = there is trade. Zero enrichment = there is no trade.”
The Trump administration has called for Iran to halt all uranium enrichment activities, which US negotiator Steve Witkov “enables weaponization.” Uranium, a critical nuclear fuel, can be used to build bombs when enriched to high levels. Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful and is willing to commit to not enriching uranium into arms grade as part of the agreement.
Speaking Thursday, Araguchi said Iran has accepted increased surveillance by international inspectors, but will not waive its right to pursue nuclear energy, including uranium enrichment. Washington offers to block economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for denuclearization.
The US had previously sent mixed signals about whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium, but in recent weeks it has strengthened its stance, claiming that abundance is not permitted.
That shift has prompted Tehran officials to question Washington’s commitment to dealing.
Two Iranian sources told CNN that Tehran has doubts about the US integrity in the talks.
“The US media statements and negotiation actions have broadly disappointed Tehran’s policy-making circle,” the source said in a joint message. “From the Tehran decision maker’s perspective, we know that it is impossible for the US to accept zero enrichment for Iran, but to assert it is a sign that the US is not seeking a fundamental agreement and is using negotiations as a tool to strengthen pressure.”
Initially, sources said some Iranian officials believed Washington might seek a compromise to “win.” However, there is now a consensus that the Trump administration is manipulating debates towards deadlocks.
Sources say neither the US nor Iran wants to leave the negotiation table, but the US position said it will rarely continue to hold consultations in an unproductive, formal meeting for a long time.
They said Tehran is no longer trying seriously to distance us from Israel’s hard-line stance on Iran, and they are looking at proposals made by the US following the agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who argued that enrichment was not permitted in Iran.
On Friday, Iranian representatives from Rome aim to investigate whether the US has revised its approach. Sources suggested that Tehran is likely to take a more severe stance unless the US offers concrete concessions.
Washington maintained pressure on Iran with new sanctions and the threat of war, despite continuing diplomatic talks.
On Wednesday, the US State Department announced new measures, identifying Iran’s construction sector as “directly or indirectly controlled” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), and releasing 10 strategic documents that stated that Iran is using it in connection with nuclear, military or ballistic missile programs.
“With these decisions, the US has a wider sanctions authority to prevent Iran from acquiring strategic materials for the construction sector under IRGC management and its proliferation programs,” said State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce.
A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the move, calling it “as outrageous as it is illegal and inhuman.”
“The US successive rounds of sanctions only reinforce the deeply embraced belief of those who are set up to make any malignant efforts to hamper Iran’s development and progress.
