Oman on Thursday evening ended speculation over the venue of the second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States, officially announcing that the Italian capital Rome will host the meeting this Saturday.

A spokesman of Oman’s Foreign Ministry “confirmed that Rome will be the venue this Saturday for the 2nd round of talks between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America,” the Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.

The aim of the talks “will be to make further progress towards reaching a just, binding and sustainable agreement,” added the statement.

The ministry said the Gulf state “is pleased to be facilitating and mediating this meeting in Rome, which has been chosen as the venue for logistical reasons.”

Oman “is also grateful to the Italian government for their invaluable assistance in the preparations for this important meeting,” concluded the statement.​​​​​​​

The first round of talks was held last Saturday in Muscat and was welcomed by several Arab states. The White House described the discussions as “very positive and constructive.”