SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The U.S. and Iran are holding a second round of talks in Rome today to discuss Tehran's nuclear program. President Trump says his goal is to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, and he insists that reaching that deal will be easy. We're joined now by NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam. Jackie, thanks for being with us.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: And what's the latest?
NORTHAM: Well, as you said, this is the second meeting between the U.S. and Iran. Last week, the two sides met in Oman for what was considered a groundbreaking meeting in some ways. It's been years since the two sides had held direct talks. But essentially, that one was a formality, really, to get the ball rolling. Today, Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, sits down with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to get more to the meat of the issue. But, you know, over the past few days, Witkoff has been putting out seemingly contradictory statements. He first said that Iran could enrich uranium to low-grade level, to produce energy, then he turned around and said Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment.
And, you know, that would be a nonstarter for Iran, which insists on its right to enrich uranium for civilian use. And so don't forget, this - you know, in his first term in 2018, Trump pulled out of the U.S. - pardon me, pulled the U.S. out of a previous nuclear accord negotiated by President Obama, and it's known as the JCPOA, and it prevented Iran from producing highly enriched uranium, which can be used to make bombs in return for an easing of sanctions, and Trump called it the worst deal in history. So he'll presumably be hoping to squeeze more concessions out of Iran this time.
SIMON: These talks come after President Trump appeared to confirm a report in the New York Times that he'd held off a potential Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear installations. How's that played into this round of talks?
NORTHAM: Well, Trump said Thursday that he still supports a negotiated deal with Iran over its nuclear program, but he also noted that failure to reach an agreement would be, in his words, very bad for Iran. And, you know, that came when he was asked about a report that claimed he had waved off an Israeli plan to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. This is what he said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I wouldn't say waved off. I'm not in a rush to do it because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death.
NORTHAM: And, you know, according to that report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had laid out the plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities when he visited the White House recently. And that was when Trump publicly announced that his envoy would be holding direct talks with Iran for the first time in more than a decade. And NPR has not been able to independently verify that reporting, I have to add.
SIMON: Jackie, what does Iran hope to get out of these talks?
NORTHAM: Well, basically, Iran is not in a position of strength right now. Since the start of the Gaza war 18 months ago, Israel has decimated Iran's main proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, and it took out key Iranian air defenses when the two countries traded missile fire this year. And since Trump returned to office, the U.S. has been carrying out frequent strikes on the Houthis, which are also aligned with Iran. But analysts I've spoken to said they expect Iran to try to drag out these talks for as long as possible without making any real concessions. But President Trump has made it clear the clock is ticking. And one source familiar with the ongoing situation with Israel and Iran, and who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. He tells my colleague, Tom Bowman, that there's a 50/50 chance Israel will hit Iran, and that that likelihood increases the longer these negotiations are drawn out.
SIMON: NPR's Jackie Northam, thanks so much for being with us.
NORTHAM: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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