Iran talks in Rome not happening this weekend and were never confirmed, State Department says

The U.S. has not committed to participating in a fourth round of denuclearization talks with Iran this weekend despite reports to the contrary, according to the State Department. 

"The United States was never confirmed to be participating in a fourth round of talks with Iran, which people had believed were Saturday in Rome," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a news conference Thursday. "We expect another round of talks will take place in the near future."

The U.S. participated in talks with Iranian officials once in Rome and twice in Oman. Envoy Steve Witkoff is the lead negotiator for President Donald Trump’s desired deal that stops Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. 

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Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, whose nation is trying to help broker a deal, posted on X that the talks had been postponed for "logistical reasons." 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said Tehran is still committed to getting to a "fair and lasting agreement."

Iran seeks to have U.S. sanctions lifted, while the Trump team has insisted it will need verifiable proof Iran has stopped enriching uranium to lift any financial penalties. 

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Trump has threatened to launch strikes on Iran if talks go sideways. 

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an ominous threat to Iran over its backing of the Houthis.

"Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing," Hegseth wrote on X. "You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."

A U.S. official described last week's talks as "positive and productive." 

"There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal," the official said. "We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks."

"This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. "We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions, though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.