The second round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States was held on Saturday, April 19, in a diplomatic facility belonging to Oman in Rome. After nearly four hours of discussions, both sides agreed to proceed to the next phase of technical-level talks, which are scheduled to begin Wednesday in Muscat. A third round of high-level negotiations is set for the following Saturday. Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Al-Busaidi, praised the positive momentum, stating that talks had “accelerated” and even suggested the potential for “unexpected breakthroughs.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed this sentiment, calling the meeting “constructive” and describing the process as “moving forward.”
In a post on social media platform X following the talks, Araghchi wrote in English that he conveyed to the American team that many in Iran now view the JCPOA as no longer sufficient, adding, “To them, what remains of it are lessons learned — and I agree.” He also warned that “cautious optimism” is appropriate at this stage. The focus is notable, as many American critics of the negotiations have claimed that President Trump is following the path of the Obama negotiations as an apparent means to blunt progress toward an agreement.
According to a statement from Oman’s foreign ministry, both Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff agreed that the goal is a fair, durable, and binding agreement that ensures Iran remains free of nuclear weapons while retaining the right to peaceful nuclear development and seeing sanctions lifted. Prior to the Rome talks, Araghchi met with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, expressing appreciation for Italy’s role in facilitating the meeting. Tajani, in turn, voiced support for continued dialogue and said Rome hoped to contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also met Tajani and praised Italy’s role in promoting diplomacy. Just days earlier, Grossi had visited Tehran for high-level discussions ahead of the agency’s next report on Iran’s nuclear program.
Within Iran, reactions to the second round of negotiations reflected a mix of optimism, strategic calculation, and continued internal debate. Ali Shamkhani, senior advisor to the Supreme Leader and former national security chief, emphasized in a post that Iran seeks a balanced agreement, not capitulation. He outlined nine key principles guiding Iran’s position, including guarantees, balance, lifting sanctions, avoiding foreign threats, rejecting the Libya/UAE model, speed, deterring external sabotage, and enabling investment.
The reformist press largely responded with optimism. Outlets like Ham-Mihan featured front-page coverage of journalists outside the Rome venue and argued that the transition to technical talks makes direct negotiations necessary. The paper’s editorial suggested that continuing indirect dialogue would be inefficient and illogical. The state-run newspaper Iran mirrored this tone but included expert opinions cautioning that even a successful agreement may not address domestic structural issues. Mostafa Hashemitaba, a former minister and reformist figure, warned against relying too heavily on diplomacy to resolve internal economic problems. Conservative analyst Abbas Salimi-Namin echoed this view, cautioning that even a successful deal may not yield long-term domestic benefits due to U.S. unreliability.
On the conservative side, Kayhan adopted a less confrontational tone than in the past. While skeptical of U.S. intentions, it asserted that American demands in Rome were reportedly “well below” those of the original JCPOA. Analyst Sadollah Zarei wrote that Trump’s primary goal is to rebrand the nuclear deal as his own and may therefore offer concessions. Kayhan welcomed the reduced role of Europe, labeling it a prudent decision given past hostilities. The paper argued that U.S. willingness to negotiate stems from Iran’s military strength and claimed that American and Israeli forces fear the cost of a confrontation. Kayhan’s “Special Report” column added that America’s decision to engage in talks is a recognition of Iran’s deterrent power and regional influence.
Iranian media also reported tight security around the Rome meeting, with Italian police implementing precautions at the venue. While a U.S. official described the negotiations as “direct and indirect,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry labeled them as “indirect,” with the Omani foreign minister shuttling between two separate rooms housing the Iranian and U.S. delegations.
In a parallel development, Iran’s judiciary announced criminal charges against two unnamed media managers for comments made about the negotiations on social media. Officials labeled their remarks as “vulgar,” underlining the tight scrutiny of media coverage around the talks.
The daily Shargh focused on the economic impact of the negotiations, reporting that markets responded more cautiously to the second round compared to the sharp movements seen after the first. Unlike the dramatic drop in gold and currency prices following the Muscat talks, this time buyers and sellers approached the market more conservatively. However, car prices reportedly rose. Shargh also included a report from Rome, noting the absence of delays from the Iranian delegation and that both sides arrived in close succession. The outlet cited Al-Hadath as reporting unresolved disagreements over uranium enrichment levels, though Iranian officials have not confirmed this. Gold market analyst Sohrab Ashrafi noted that while optimism about the outcome of the talks remains, the intensity of that optimism is lower than during the first round.
On the diplomatic front, Araghchi spoke by phone on Sunday with his counterparts in Switzerland and Pakistan. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the Swiss Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the talks and offered assistance. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister voiced hope that mediation efforts would bring peace and development.
There was renewed speculation within Iran about the possibility of reopening embassies between Tehran and Washington. Reformist figure Mohsen Rahami proposed a phased approach: beginning with direct talks at the foreign ministry level and eventually reopening embassies if progress continues. In contrast, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani dismissed the idea as premature and irrelevant, while hardliners such as Hossein Shariatmadari of Kayhan mocked such discussions as naive.
Rafael Grossi expressed relief that the second round did not collapse. In an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica, he said both sides showed a willingness to address concrete issues and that the tone of the meeting suggested further progress was possible. Grossi noted that the talks were at risk of breaking down, but the atmosphere in Rome prevented that outcome.
As Oman deepens its mediation role and regional diplomacy intensifies — including the Omani king’s visit to Russia and Araghchi’s earlier delivery of a letter from Supreme Leader Khamenei to Vladimir Putin — the next round of negotiations will begin to test whether technical-level talks can transform cautious optimism into a lasting agreement.