Iranian negotiators will reportedly arrive in Rome, Italy, on Easter weekend to further negotiate its nuclear program, two sources told Axios Monday.
Diplomats from the Islamic Republic of Iran will meet in the city after initial talks in Oman with U.S. diplomats on Apr. 12 were described by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff as “serious and excellent,” according to Axios. The talks come as part of President Donald Trump’s attempt to strike a deal that former President Joe Biden’s administration failed to get off the ground.
Christians are widely persecuted across Iran, despite enjoying legal status as a religious minority in the nation, according to the State Department in 2023.
Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the meeting’s lead-up to seek advice on the nuclear talks. U.S. officials chose the meeting spot, according to Axios.
Witkoff and Araghchi directly spoke to each other for 45 minutes, which was longer than was publicly known, sources told Axios.
With its existing stores of 60% enriched uranium, Iran can potentially make a nuclear weapon in just one week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a March 2025 bulletin.
Iran is the largest state sponsors of terrorist organizations in the world, backing the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and various Shi’ite Muslim militia groups in Iraq with logistical and military aid.
The U.S. continues to pound the Houthis in Yemen as their harassment of commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden stifles global trades. The closing of the Red Sea shipping route adds nearly $1 million additional in fuel costs for ships while extending their voyages by around two weeks.
The Houthis have also targeted U.S. Navy vessels, striking around 170 times since 2023.
The State Department has also ratcheted up sanctions pressure in recent weeks, issuing a slew of new orders against the regime since Trump assumed office in January 2024.
The State Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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