ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian and US officials have hailed Saturday's second round of negotiations between the two countries as “positive,” with both sides set to meet again next week.

The discussions, which were held at an Omani diplomatic building in Rome, lasted four hours and related solely to Iran’s nuclear proliferation efforts, avoiding topics blacklisted by Tehran such as its conventional military arsenal and support to proxy groups.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a positive tone when discussing the talks, telling Iranian state media that "this time we managed to reach a better understanding on a series of principles and goals.”

A US statement similarly praised the diplomatic effort as having “made very good progress.”

In a post on X, Araghchi noted that the "relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal," though he cautioned that the principles of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement of 2015—which US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018—are no longer "good enough for us."

Once more, the clash between the Iranian insistence on holding indirect talks and an American portrayal of “direct and indirect discussions” came to the fore, marking a discrepancy in their respective accounts of the negotiations.

Spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baqaei stated that “indirect talks at a technical level” would continue in the interim before the senior negotiators meet again next Saturday.

Oman, having played a critical role in mediating the negotiations thusfar, announced that the third round will take place in the Omani capital of Muscat.

The dialogue between Washington and Tehran began after US President Donald Trump implemented a “maximum pressure” campaign seeking to pressure Iran into forfeiting its burgeoning nuclear program, long-feared by Western powers as a precursor to the country developing nuclear weapons.

Iran has long denied any such intentions, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian explicitly stating, “We are not after nuclear bombs.”

Despite the current diplomatic overtures, Iranian officials remain wary of the threat of US military action to hamper Iranian nuclear proliferation, with the Trump administration repeatedly affirming that direct action against Tehran remains a possibility.