Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran are now set for Oman on Friday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said, citing an Arab source.
President Donald Trump’s administration agreed to Iran’s request to move the talks from Turkey, and negotiations are ongoing on whether Arab and Muslim countries in the region will join the talks in Oman, Ravid added, citing the source.
Iran has requested changes to the venue and format of nuclear talks with the US, seeking to move them from Istanbul to Oman. “They want to change the format, they want to change the scope,” a diplomat said, adding Iran wants to focus only on the nuclear file, while the US seeks to include missiles and regional proxy activities.
The Iranian Foreign Minister confirmed that consultations for the venue of talks with the US were underway and that they would happen later this week. He also said the location and timing were not “complicated issues” and should not be used as “a pretext for media games.”
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian FM Araghchi will meet Friday in Istanbul with Gulf officials and Jared Kushner. “It remains to be seen whether the US intends serious, results-oriented negotiations,” a source said.
Iran told mediators that it is ready to discuss the nuclear issue and is even willing to consider compromises. Additionally, the Islamic Republic seemed amenable to discussing the ballistic missiles issue and its proxies in later talks, according to a source familiar with the details.
Iran reportedly believes that reaching an agreement on the nuclear issue will probably prevent “Israel” from conducting strikes against its missile storage facilities.
However, in “Israel” and the US, the assessment is that the chance of reaching an agreement with the Islamic Republic is slim to none.
Separately on Tuesday, Iranian officials threatened to withdraw from the upcoming Istanbul talks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that talks with Iran were still scheduled to take place later this week.
A source familiar with the situation said Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was due to take part in the talks, along with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
An Iranian diplomatic source told Reuters that Tehran’s view of the talks is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, adding that the Islamic Republic’s defensive capabilities are non-negotiable and it is ready for any scenario.
Source: Al-Ahed News
