LONDON, United Kingdom - Iranian officials and state media are criticizing comments by US authorities demanding a full denuclearization of the country ahead of a second round of US-Iran talks slated for Saturday in Rome.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is also serving as the chief negotiator on the Iranian side, warned on Wednesday that "shifting" and "contradictory" remarks from US officials are undermining the ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Araghchi was addressing statements by his US opposite number in the talks, Steve Witkoff, who has recently been alternating between a possible recognition of Iran's right to pursue nuclear enrichment at the 3.67% level and a demand for the total dismantlement of its nuclear program.

After a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Araghchi told reporters that Iran is seeking clarity over Washington's precise position ahead of the next round. Last Saturday, Araghchi and Witkoff held their preliminary session in Oman, with the second meeting set to be held in Rome this weekend.

“If Washington comes forth with a constructive stance, we can proceed," Araghchi said, warning in the meantime that failure to do so will complicate the talks.

The Iranian minister reiterated that Tehran's enrichment regime is non-negotiable, while expressing openness to build trust to ease US concerns about Iran's potential intentions to develop atomic bombs, an ambition Iran denies ever having pursued.

In the latest from the diplomatic blitz, Araghchi landed in Moscow on Thursday. The top diplomat told Iran's state TV upon arrival that he will deliver a letter from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"When it comes to the nuclear issue, we have always been in consultation with our friends in Russia, coordinating and adjusting our positions with them," he declared.

Trump team 'divisions'

As Iranian officials expressed unease with public comments from the Trump administration officials, the state-affiliated papers also delved into the issue, casting doubt on the intentions of "unhinged" decision-makers in Washington to engage in genuine diplomacy.

The press also highlighted a Tuesday speech by the supreme leader, where he urged officials not to tie the country's economic affairs to the ongoing talks. 

Representing the anti-American sectors of the political spectrum, hardline papers explored "confusions and divisions" within the Trump administration.

The daily, Farhikhtegan, analyzed the question of differing views among US officials, noting, in particular, that the United States was still seeking to elicit "maximum concessions" from the Islamic Republic.

Additionally, Vatan Emrooz, a ferocious critic of pro-engagement camps, wrote that Witkoff shifted position after pressure from "radical political currents" in the US, who had lashed out at his suggestion that Washington could "acknowledge Iran's right" to enrich uranium at low levels.