April 17, 2025 | 11:09 pm
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on Thursday, April 17, 2025, for an official visit for talks with Iranian officials, according to Saudi media.
Khalid bin Salman will discuss bilateral relations and several issues of mutual concern, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, as cited by Anadolu.
According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, the Saudi Defense Minister will explore ways to strengthen regional cooperation, enhance defense relations, and coordinate counter-terrorism efforts.
This important visit is made ahead of the second round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington regarding Iran's nuclear program in Rome, Italy on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
Iran confirmed on Wednesday that the next round of nuclear talks with the United States this weekend will be held in Rome, after previous confusion about the location of the negotiations.
The announcement by the Iranian government television came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian officially accepted the resignation of one of his vice presidents who served as Tehran's chief negotiator in the 2015 nuclear deal with major world powers.
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also arrived in the Islamic Republic on Wednesday. His discussions may encompass negotiations regarding the access that IAEA inspectors can obtain under the proposed deal.
The government announcement stated that Oman will return as mediator on Saturday in Rome, after its foreign minister served as interlocutor during the negotiations last weekend in Muscat, the Omani capital.
Italian officials initially identified Rome as the host for the talks on Monday, but Iran insisted on Tuesday morning that they would return to Oman.
U.S. officials have so far not openly stated where the talks will be held, although Trump called Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq on Tuesday, while the ruler was on a trip to the Netherlands.
The outcome of the negotiations is crucial for both countries that have been at odds for almost half a century.
Grossi's visit comes as Iran restricts IAEA access
Grossi arrived in Tehran to meet with Pezeshkian and others. He met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday night and wrote on the X social media platform after the meeting: "Cooperation with (the IAEA) is indispensable to provide credible assurances about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program at a time when diplomacy is urgently needed.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency described Araghchi as briefing Grossi on the first round of talks with the U.S. while also urging the IAEA to “adopt a clear and transparent stance regarding threats against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities.”
Both Israel and the U.S. have threatened to attack Iran's nuclear sites if a deal cannot be reached to curb Tehran's program. “As variety of spoilers are gathered to derail current negotiations, we need a Director General of Peace,” Araghchi wrote on X. “Our predisposition is to trust Grossi in mission to keep the Agency away from politics and politicization and to retain focus on its technical mandate.”
Since the collapse of the 2018 nuclear deal with the unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the agreement by Trump, Iran has disregarded all limits on its program and has enriched uranium to a purity of 60 percent, approaching weapons-grade level of 90 percent.
IAEA-installed surveillance cameras have been disrupted, while Iran has barred some of the most experienced inspectors from the agency headquartered in Vienna. Iranian officials have also increasingly threatened they can pursue nuclear weapons, something that has concerned the West and the IAEA for years since Tehran halted organized weapons program in 2003.
Any potential deal between Iran and the U.S. is likely to heavily depend on the IAEA's ability to ensure Tehran's compliance. And despite the tension between Iran and the agency, its access has not been fully revoked.
Iran's foreign minister questioned conflicting responses from U.S. envoys. Araghchi warned the United States on Wednesday against taking contradictory stances in the talks.
Editor’s Choice: Italian Minister: Second Round of US-Iran Nuclear Talks to be Held in Rome
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