‘Constructive’ and ‘positive’: What to know about the rare US-Iran nuclear talks

USA Today-April14th2025

Kim Hjelmgaard

Iran and the United States will hold a second round of rare discussions on April 19 over Tehran’s nuclear program after both sides described a meeting over the weekend, the highest-level one between the two nations since 2018 when Barack Obama was president, as “constructive.”

The Trump administration wants the new talks to be held in Rome, according to a report. Iran and the U.S. do not have formal diplomatic relations. The Islamic Republic’s mission to the United Nations in New York would not confirm whether Iran has agreed to Italy’s capital as the venue for the next meeting.

Here’s why the talks are happening, and what to expect from the meetings.

Iran-US talks: How did we get here?

During his first term, President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of a 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration between Iran and world nuclear powers.

That deal limited Iran’s nuclear program in return for lifting some international sanctions on Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, said the accord was proving effective.

Trump walked away from the deal, which he described at the time as the “worst ever negotiated,” because he did not believe it did enough to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its ballistic missile programs, or Iran’s support for regional militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Iran insists − amid much international skepticism, including from the U.N.’s IAEA − that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, like energy and nuclear power, only. Whatever the case, its nuclear program has progressed since the collapse of the 2015 accord. In March, the IAEA said Iran had about 275kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity − enough to make some nuclear weapons. Some nuclear experts argue Iran could build an atomic bomb within months.

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