Rome, Apr 19 (AP) Iran and the United States prepared Saturday for a second round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme in Rome.

The talks in Italy over Easter weekend again will hinge on US billionaire Steve Witkoff, the US Mideast envoy of President Donald Trump, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Whether the two men find common ground in the high-stakes negotiations could mean success or failure in the talks.

That talks are even happening represent a historic moment, given the decades of enmity between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and US Embassy hostage crisis.

Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, setting off years of attacks and negotiations that failed to restore the accord that drastically limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

At risk is a possible American or Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear sites, or the Iranians following through on their threats to pursue an atomic weapon.

Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have spiked over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and after US airstrikes on targeting Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels killed more than 70 people and wounded dozens more.

“I'm for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said Friday. “I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote Saturday on the social platform X that Iran “always demonstrated, with good faith and a sense of responsibility, its commitment to diplomacy as a civilized way to resolve issues".

“We are aware that it is not a smooth path but we take every step with open eyes, relying also on the past experiences,” he added.

Araghchi, Witkoff both traveled ahead of talks Both men have been traveling in recent days. Witkoff had been in Paris for talks about Ukraine as Russia's full-scale war there grinds on. Araghchi will be coming from Tehran, Iran, after a visit to Moscow where he met with officials including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia, a member of the world powers involved in Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal, could be a key participant in any future deal reached between Tehran and Washington.

Analysts suggest Moscow could potentially take custody of Iran's uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the first round, already has arrived in Rome and met with his Italian counterpart on Friday. Baghaei said al-Busaidi again mediate between the countries.

Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has long served as an interlocutor between Iran and the West. Muscat hosted the first round of negotiations between Araghchi and Witkoff last weekend, which saw the two men meet face to face after indirect talks.

Iran seeks a deal to steady troubled economy Iran's internal politics are still inflamed over the mandatory hijab, or headscarf, with women still ignoring the law on the streets of Tehran. Rumors also persist over the government potentially increasing the cost of subsidized gasoline in the country, which has sparked nationwide protests in the past Iran's rial currency plunged to over 1 million to a US dollar earlier this month. The currency has improved with the talks, however, something Tehran hopes will continue.

Meanwhile, two used Airbus A330-200 long sought by Iran's flag carrier, Iran Air, arrived to Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport on Thursday, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. The planes, formerly of China's Hainan Airlines, had been in Muscat and re-registered to Iran.

The aircraft had Rolls-Royce engines, which include significant American parts and servicing. Such a transaction would need approval from the US Treasury given sanctions on Iran. The State Department and Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran could purchase new aircraft and had lined up tens of billions of dollars in deals with Airbus and Boeing Co. However, the manufacturers backed away from the deals over Trump's threats to the nuclear accord. (AP) PY PY

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Iran, US prepare for second round of negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme in Rome

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