Iran and the United States will hold nuclear talks on Friday in Oman, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said late Wednesday, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests last month.
The announcement by Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering, and media reports that they had been cancelled due to changes in the format and content of the talks.
The talks had been earlier expected to be held in Turkey, Iran's neighbour, which had been working to bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table over the past week.
”I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday evening.
The talks announcement also follows the most recent incident between the two sides after a US Navy fighter jet on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that approached a US aircraft carrier.
Iranian fast boats from its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also tried to stop a US-flagged ship in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz, the Navy said.
Tehran, whose military chiefs visited a missile base on Wednesday in an attempt to highlight its readiness after a 12-day conflict with Israel in June devastated its air defences, did not immediately acknowledge Tuesday's incident.
On Wednesday, a regional official said Iran was seeking a “different” type of meeting than that which had been proposed by Turkey, one focused exclusively on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, with participation limited to Iran and the US.
According to several media reports citing unnamed White House officials, the Trump administration has confirmed that Washington will participate in high-level negotiations with Iran in Oman rather than in Turkey, as initially scheduled.
Several Arab and Muslim leaders urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to walk away from talks, reports claim, even as Iranian officials pressed to narrow the scope of talks and change the venue for the negotiations.
The official added that the White House remains “very sceptical” that the talks will be successful but has agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region.
Rubio hopes talks will go beyond nuclear ones
Tensions between the countries rose after US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington might use force against Tehran in response to Iran's deadly crackdown on protesters. Trump has been pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear programme.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the US hoped to discuss several concerns beyond the nuclear issue, including discussions on Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region, and the “treatment of their own people.”
“The leadership of Iran at the clerical level does not reflect the people of Iran. I know of no other country where there’s a bigger difference between the people who lead the country and the people who live there,” he told reporters.
Signs that Tehran wants to negotiate emerged on Tuesday, when Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the US.
Analysts believe Pezeshkian's statement signalled the move is supported by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state and previously dismissed any negotiations.
Tehran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. However, some of its senior officials in recent years have increasingly threatened to pursue nuclear weapons.
