The second round of Iran-United States indirect nuclear talks started in Rome, Italy's capital on Saturday, according to Iranian state television.
Earlier on the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on social media that Iran knows that this is not an easy road, but the country will use diplomacy as a way to resolve disputes with sincerity and responsibility.
Also on the day, Iranian media said that Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Rome and would hold a second round of indirect talks with the U.S. on the nuclear issue.
Iran signed a nuclear deal in July 2015 with six major countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the deal in May 2018 during his first term and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments under the deal. Since then, efforts to revive the nuclear agreement have made little progress.
Iran-US nuclear talks begin second round in Rome: Iranian media
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
