MOSCOW: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cast doubt on Friday over the intentions of the United States a day before a second round of nuclear talks with Washington.

The new round will come a week after the long-time foes held their highest-level negotiations since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear deal in 2018.

“Although we have serious doubts about the intentions and motivations of the American side, in any case we will participate in tomorrow’s negotiations,” Araghchi said during a press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Araghchi will set off on Saturday for Rome for a fresh round of Oman-mediated talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

“We are fully prepared to pursue a peaceful resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme,” Araghchi said.

Lavrov said Moscow was ready “to play any role that will be useful from Iran’s point of view and that will be acceptable to the United States.”

Russia, which commands the world’s largest confirmed arsenal of nuclear weapons, has deepened its military ties with Iran since it launched its offensive on Ukraine in Feb 2022.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons — an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country’s military capabilities were off limits in the discussions.

The official IRNA news agency reported Iran’s regional influence and its missile capabilities — long criticised by Western governments — were among its “red lines” in the talks.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025