ROME (AP) — Iran and the United States prepared for a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue.

By bnm Tehran bureau Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran's positions are completely clear and the country stands firm on them following the conclusion of the fifth round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks that ended on May 23 after three hours with some but not 'conclusive progress.

Iranian and U.S. negotiators wrapped up a fifth round of talks on Friday (May 23), with mediator Oman saying there was some limited progress in negotiations aimed at resolving a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Ahmad Khatami called Donald Trump a "madman," alleging that the president's behavior is just an attempt to scare others.

By bnm Tehran bureau Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Rome to participate in the fifth round of negotiations with the US special envoy, mediated by Oman, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on May 23.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that there will be no nuclear agreement if the US seeks to cease Iran's uranium enrichment. He made the remarks in a live interview broadcast on Thursday with the state-run IRIB TV ahead of the fifth round of indirect nuclear talks between Iranian and US delegations in Rome on Friday.

Senior Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami criticized President Trump amid rising tensions as nuclear talks continue in Rome.

“We are witnessing completely unreasonable and illogical positions from the Americans,” said Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, on Tuesday. “Enrichment is absolutely nonnegotiable.

Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the fifth round of talks in the Italian capital, Araghchi said Iran presented its "positions and principles" during this round, calling it "one of the most professional so far."