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.

US and Iranian delegations will gather in Rome Saturday for a second round of high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear program amid tempered optimism about a diplomatic way forward.

A concrete progress in the US-Iran talks is unlikely until Tehran is given solid assurances from external parties, especially after the 2018 setback when Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact