The U.S. and Iran are slated to hold a third round of discussions this week in Muscat, Oman, following a meeting in Italy facilitated by Omani mediators to address Iran’s nuclear ambitions on Saturday.

While details of the talks remain undisclosed, and concrete progress on curbing Iran’s nuclear program is uncertain, a high-ranking U.S. official indicated that “very good progress” had been achieved.

“We made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions today, over four hours in our second round of talks,” the official stated on Saturday. “We’ve agreed to reconvene next week and extend our gratitude to our Omani partners for enabling these discussions and to our Italian partners for hosting us.”

Reports suggest that U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi engaged in face-to-face conversations during the negotiations, marking the second such instance in as many weeks.

However, contrary to President Donald Trump’s earlier insistence on solely “direct” negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which Iran rejected, the discussions have involved a compromise format. The specific content of Witkoff’s direct discussions with his Iranian counterpart remains confidential.

Araghchi also expressed cautious optimism regarding the negotiations following the Italy meeting.

“The relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has facilitated progress on the principles and objectives of a potential agreement,” he posted in a . “We’ve clarified the widespread sentiment in Iran that the JCPOA is no longer adequate. Many view the remaining aspects of that deal as mere ‘lessons learned.’ I personally tend to agree.” 

“Expert-level talks will commence in the coming days to finalize the details,” Araghchi stated. “Subsequently, we will be better positioned to assess the situation. For now, cautious optimism may be warranted.”

It’s unclear how these negotiations to curtail Iran’s nuclear program will differ from the original JCPOA, the Obama-era nuclear agreement that Trump withdrew from during his first term, even though the president and other security experts have voiced a in reaching a resolution promptly.

According to retired Gen. Jack Keane, a senior strategic analyst, numerous security experts are observing these with “real concern” due to the significant changes since the initial nuclear agreement in 2015.

“The key difference is that Iran now possesses the capability to produce advanced centrifuges, enabling them to enrich uranium from zero to weapons grade within weeks,” Keane explained.

Essentially, the U.S. must not only persuade Iran to eliminate its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium – sufficient for producing upon further enrichment – but also dismantle its manufacturing capabilities.

“Another notable difference in 2025 is their possession of ballistic missiles capable of delivering the weapon,” Keane added. “The specifics of the deal remain to be determined.”

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