International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi has expressed optimism on talks between the United States and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Both sides were “prepared to discuss concrete aspects with each other,” Grossi told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.
Talks between Washington and Tehran, which are being mediated by Oman, are due to continue on Saturday. The venue is moving from the Italian capital to Muscat in Oman for the third round.
Grossi said he was satisfied with progress to date. “The talks really could have collapsed in this second round. Then everything would have come to a halt,” he said.
“The risk was there. Instead the spirit of Rome showed it is possible to make progress,” the IAEA head said without providing details.
The US and Iranian delegations broke up after four hours on Saturday without making recognizable progress towards resolving the years-long stalemate over Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Israel, the US and many Western countries accuse Tehran of working towards a nuclear arsenal, while Iran denies this. US President Donald Trump has threatened military consequences on several occasions.
Israel is the only nuclear power in the region.
The 2015 deal which Tehran struck with the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, provided for the easing of economic sanctions on Iran as long as it severely restricted its uranium enrichment and cut its stockpiles of enriched uranium.
The deal was to be subject to a stringent inspection regime.
In 2018, during his first term, Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the deal and reimposed sanctions. Iran subsequently announced it had resumed enrichment. Trump is now demanding a new agreement.