US and Iran agree on third round of nuclear talks

Iranian and American negotiators have agreed to hold a third round of talks on Iran's nuclear ambitions, a positive signal amid mixed messages from the White House about possible military action and new demands for Tehran.

The April 19 meeting took place a week after the two sides met in Oman, which was the first high-level meeting held in many years between Washington and Tehran.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi led their delegations to the talks in Rome.

The US has not yet commented on the outcome of the talks in Rome.

But the Iranian Foreign Minister said the two sides agreed to meet again on April 26 in Oman.

"I believe that technical negotiations at the expert level will start in Oman on April 23, and next Saturday we will meet in Oman to review the results of the experts' work and see how close we are to an agreement in principle," Araqchi said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hopes talks with Iran will be "fruitful."

"We would all prefer a peaceful and sustainable solution," he said after the meetings in Paris.

But, he added, "it has to be something that not only prevents Iran from having nuclear weapons now, but also in the future."

Rubio said he hopes the talks with Iran will be "fruitful."

The United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons. Tehran has consistently denied the charges, insisting its efforts are for civilian purposes, such as generating electricity.

After returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump, who had withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear deal, resumed the "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions on Iran.

Last month, he sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader calling for the resumption of talks, while warning of military action if diplomacy fails.

Over the past week, Trump and other White House officials have sent mixed and sometimes contradictory messages about the U.S. approach to the talks. The White House has ordered the deployment of long-range bombers to the region, as well as an aircraft carrier.

“I’m in no rush” to use the military option, Trump told reporters on April 17. “I think Iran wants to talk.”

On April 18, he said: "I am for stopping Iran, quite simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be wonderful, prosperous and fantastic."

In an April 14 interview with Fox News, Steve Witkoff said the US was open to a limited nuclear program for Iran.

But he later retracted that statement in a social media post, suggesting that the entire program should be scrapped.

Israel's role in the debate over Iran's nuclear ambitions is also crucial. Israeli officials have vowed to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and according to some media outlets, have not ruled out the possibility of an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington does not support such a move.

Former officials and experts have long said that Israel would need significant military support - and weapons - from the US to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and stockpiles, some of which are located in underground buildings.