Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Rome to participate in the fifth round of negotiations with the US special envoy, mediated by Oman, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on May 23.

Araghchi leads a political delegation comprising legal, political and banking specialists for the talks with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy for Middle East affairs. The negotiations are scheduled to begin at 13:00 local time.

The Iranian delegation includes Majid Takht Ravanchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, and Esmaeil Baghaei, Foreign Ministry spokesman, alongside other diplomats and specialists.

This marks the fifth round of so-called "indirect talks" between the two countries, with previous sessions held three times in Muscat and once in Rome. The discussions are facilitated by Badr Albusaidi, Oman's Foreign Minister.

Recent statements from US officials, including President Trump, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House spokespersons, have indicated that America's only acceptable outcome would be Iran completely abandoning uranium enrichment—a red line for Tehran.

Iran's primary demand centres on the effective removal of unilateral US sanctions. As a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran considers uranium enrichment its right and insists on maintaining its fuel cycle capabilities.

Sources close to the Iranian negotiating team suggest the atmosphere has become more serious since the third round held in Muscat on April 26. The expectation is that negotiations will slow as both sides must fight for every word.

Before departing for Rome, Araghchi wrote on X: "Set to travel to Rome for the 5th round of indirect talks with the US. Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal."

"Time to decide," Araghchi concluded, addressing the US negotiating team.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously stated that the US demand for zero enrichment was unacceptable and expressed his scepticism about the talks yielding any substantive results.