Iran says 4th round of indirect talks with U.S. set for Rome

TEHRAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the fourth round of the Omani-mediated indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will be held in Rome on Saturday, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Araghchi made the remarks on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran while responding to questions about the ongoing talks with the United States on Tehran's nuclear program and Washington's sanctions.

He noted that Oman, as the talks' host, had decided to hold the fourth round in Rome due to technical and logistical reasons.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stated that the location Oman selected to host the negotiations was of no particular importance to Iran.

"Of importance to us are the contents of the negotiations and the mediator," he said.

Commenting on the U.S. hostile measures, such as the imposition of fresh sanctions against Iran despite the ongoing negotiations, he noted that such actions would definitely convey a negative message.

Araghchi noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) currently played no role in the negotiations, but "will play an important role in the future if an agreement is reached."

He said, although no time frame had been decided for the talks' conclusion, Iran naturally was not interested in "attritional negotiations and is not after wasting time."

The first and third rounds of the indirect talks between Iran and the United States, headed by the Iranian foreign minister and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, were held in the Omani capital Muscat on April 12 and 26, and the second one in Rome on April 19. Enditem