Iran appears to have hit out at the decision to change the venue of its latest nuclear talks with the US from Oman to Italy, saying the “goalposts were being moved” as it blamed “hawks”.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran‘s foreign ministry, seemed to reference the switch of location to Rome for the second round of negotiations this weekend when he said moving the goalposts in diplomacy could be seen as a “lack of seriousness”.
It had earlier been announced that the talks about Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme would resume in Oman.
Writing on X, Mr Baghaei said moving the goalposts in football “constitutes a professional foul and an unfair act”.
He added that in diplomacy “any such shifting… could simply risk any overtures falling apart”.
Mr Baghaei said the move had been pushed by “hawks who fail to grasp the logic/art of commonsense deal-making”.
And he said the decision “could be perceived as a lack of seriousness, let alone good faith”.
“We’re still in testing mode,” he said.
During the first round of talks in Oman last weekend, the host nation’s officials mediated between representatives of Iran and the US, who were seated in separate rooms, according to Mr Baghaei.
After the meeting, Oman’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi thanked Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff for joining the negotiations aimed at “global peace, security and stability”, in an X post.
“We will continue to work together and put further efforts to assist in arriving at this goal,” he added.
It comes as the US announced new sanctions which will target shipping companies’ oil tankers under its Iran-related programme.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi (left) meets his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. Pic: Iranian Foreign Ministry/AP
Tehran defiant over enriching uranium
Mr Araghchi has said Iran’s right to enrich uranium is not negotiable ahead of the second round of talks. The discussions began last Saturday with Oman acting as a mediator in the capital Muscat.
They were the first between the two adversaries under US President Donald Trump who has threatened military action if there is no deal. Both sides described the initial talks as positive and constructive.
Mr Araghchi was reacting on Wednesday after Mr Witkoff said the Islamic Republic must “stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment” to reach a deal with Washington.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Pic: Reuters
‘Contradictory statements from Witkoff’
The foreign minister was quoted by Iranian state media in Tehran as saying: “We have heard contradictory statements from Witkoff, but real positions will be made clear at the negotiating table.
“We are ready to build trust regarding possible concerns over Iran’s enrichment, but the principle of enrichment is not negotiable.”
According to Western countries, Iran is refining uranium to a high degree of fissile purity – more than what is justifiable for a civilian energy programme and close to the level suitable for atomic bomb fuel.
Read more from Sky News:
Lack of rescue equipment leaves hundreds to die in Gaza
Colossal squid captured on film for first time ever
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Iran: There’s a ‘chance’ for nuclear agreement
Nuclear weapon ambitions denied by Iran
Tehran has denied it is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency – the UN nuclear watchdog whose inspectors monitor Iranian nuclear sites – has been invited to Rome for the talks, Reuters reported, citing a diplomatic source.
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani confirmed the discussions would be held in Rome but said Italy would not be involved.
“Italy simply wants to be a bridge for peace; we have no ambitions of any kind. Such a delicate negotiation is up to the parties involved and their willingness to achieve a concrete result,” Mr Tajani said in a statement.