Washington, United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said meaningful talks with Iran must include Tehran’s missile arsenal and other issues, while Iranian officials said they would only discuss the nuclear programme.
Scope of planned talks
Talks between the United States and Iran have been planned for Friday amid fears of a military confrontation, with Iran seeking to restrict negotiations to its long-running nuclear dispute with Western countries.
Rubio said the United States was ready to meet if Iran wanted to do so, but said discussions would also need to cover the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, its support for groups around the Middle East, and its treatment of its own people, in addition to the nuclear issue.
A senior Iranian official said the talks would be only about Iran’s nuclear programme and that the missile programme was “off the table”.
Location and mediation
The meeting was originally planned for Turkey, but a Gulf official, another regional official and Iranian state-affiliated media said the talks were expected to take place in Oman. Rubio said the location was “still being worked through”.
Plans for the talks, to be mediated by several countries, were still being finalised, the Gulf official said, adding that discussions would start on the nuclear issue and then move to other topics on a step-by-step basis.
Rising tensions
The diplomatic efforts follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against Iran during its crackdown on protesters last month and the deployment of more naval power to the Gulf.
After Israel and the United States bombed Iran last summer, renewed friction has raised fears among regional states of a wider conflict and potential long-term chaos in Iran. Sources said Trump has continued to weigh the option of strikes on Iran, and oil prices have risen amid the tension.
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