Iran Says Next Round of Negotiations with the U.S. Will Still Be in Muscat

The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, hours after confirming reports about the second round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. being held in the Italian capital, stated that the second round will also take place in Oman. Ismail Baqaei said on Monday evening, April 25, without providing details, "It has been decided that Muscat will continue to host the second round of negotiations on Saturday, April 30." These remarks came after he had announced in his morning meeting with reporters that the second round of negotiations would be in "another country." Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, had also told his Iraqi counterpart that the negotiations would be held in Rome. Antonio Tajani, Italy's Foreign Minister, also told reporters that his country has given the green light for the next round of Iran-U.S. nuclear negotiations to be held in Rome. Iranian officials have not provided an explanation for their change of previous stance. However, it seems that concerns about protests by Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic during the negotiations and the desire for clearer communication regarding the talks in Oman may be reasons for the sudden change in the venue for the second round of negotiations. Meanwhile, some media outlets, including Bloomberg, have reported that J.D. Vance, the U.S. Vice President, will be in Rome on Friday and Saturday to meet with the Italian Prime Minister. Trump: Iran is fooling us because they are used to negotiating with ignorant people. The second round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. is set to take place, and although both sides expressed satisfaction with the results of the first round, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized what he called Iran's "fooling around". Mr. Trump, during a meeting with his Salvadoran counterpart at the White House, said, "Iran wants to deal with the U.S. but doesn't know how. They are fooling us because they are used to negotiating with ignorant people in this country [the United States]." He added that the Islamic Republic must act quickly because its acquisition of nuclear weapons is imminent. The U.S. President also stated on Sunday that he would soon make a decision regarding Iran. He did not provide details in this regard, but the United States has, in recent weeks, intensified its diplomatic efforts to reach an immediate agreement with Iran over its nuclear file, deployed B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and warned Tehran about the possibility of military action.