US and Iran are preparing for discussions in Oman as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East
Tehran wants negotiations to remain focused on its nuclear program, even as Washington issues warnings of possible military action.
Crucial talks between the US and Iran are set to take place in Oman, as Tehran seeks to ensure that its discussions with the Trump administration remain limited to its nuclear program.
The talks, scheduled for Friday, come as US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering military options against the Islamic Republic. The discussions were initially expected to be held in Istanbul, with regional countries participating as observers.
However, sources familiar with the talks said that Tehran wanted the meeting to be held in Muscat, with only the US present.
This request signaled that Iran wants the format to mirror previous talks with the US last year, which focused on Iran’s nuclear program, rather than broader issues such as the future of its ballistic missile arsenal, which Washington has previously demanded.
“The Iranians want to change the agenda, the participants, and the venue of the meeting,” one source said. They “want to portray this as a new round of the previous nuclear talks in Oman.”
Another source familiar with the discussions said the US had agreed to move the talks to Muscat. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the talks would take place on Friday but provided no further details.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but diplomats had previously said that the details were still being finalized.
Witkoff and Araghchi held several rounds of indirect talks with Iran in the Omani capital last year, before Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June, just 48 hours before the sixth round of talks was scheduled. The US briefly joined Israel’s attack to bomb Iran’s main nuclear facility.
In recent weeks, Arab and Muslim powers have intensified efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table, as Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran. This threat followed a brutal crackdown by the Islamic regime in which thousands were killed.
In recent weeks, the US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and additional warplanes and air defense systems to the region.
In a sign of escalating tensions, a US fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday, which the US military said had “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, quoted an unnamed official as saying the drone was on a “routine and legal” surveillance mission.
In a separate incident the same day, the Guards’ naval forces threatened to board and seize a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to diplomats and analysts, the White House was demanding that Tehran permanently halt all uranium enrichment, accept limits on its ballistic missile program, and cease its support for regional militant groups.
However, Iranian officials have said they will only agree to discuss the nuclear issue and will not bow to Trump’s demands.
