A new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed on Monday. The announcement follows requests from both negotiating parties and Oman, which continues to serve as a mediator.

Speaking during a visit to the Italian pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Tajani said, “Italy is prepared to do everything necessary to support negotiations that could lead to resolving the nuclear issue and building peace.”

The meeting in Rome follows a first round of indirect talks held in Oman on April 12—the first such discussions since the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. The landmark nuclear deal, originally signed in 2015, aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials confirmed the next round of negotiations will take place outside Oman but emphasized that the structure of the talks and the role of Oman as a mediator will remain unchanged.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the location of the talks is less important than maintaining the current negotiation framework. “What matters is the substance and continuity of the indirect talks,” Baghaei said.

He also ruled out any possibility of direct talks with Washington, calling the indirect format a more effective path for diplomacy between the two countries. He added that Oman will continue coordinating the new venue and thanked Muscat for its ongoing role.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will travel to Russia later this week for consultations on recent developments in the negotiations. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Araghchi will meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other top officials.

Iran originally signed the JCPOA with six world powers—Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States—in July 2015. The agreement imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for lifting international sanctions. However, the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions led Iran to reduce its commitments under the deal, and efforts to revive the JCPOA have since faced repeated setbacks.