Muscat, Oman. The United States and Iran have agreed to hold talks in Muscat on Friday, officials said, while remaining at odds over whether discussions should include issues beyond Iran’s nuclear program.
Talks confirmed as tensions rise
The diplomatic effort comes amid heightened tensions as the United States builds up forces in the Middle East and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that many fear could escalate into a wider war.
Differences in recent days over the scope and venue for the talks had raised doubts about whether the meeting would take place, leaving open the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump could carry out his threat to strike Iran.
Trump comments and venue shift
Asked on Wednesday whether Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be worried, Trump told NBC News: “I would say he should be very worried. Yeah, he should be.” He added that “they’re negotiating with us” but did not elaborate.
After Trump spoke, U.S. and Iranian officials said the two sides agreed to shift the talks’ location to Muscat after initially accepting Istanbul. There was no indication they had found common ground on the agenda.
Dispute over negotiating scope
Iran has sought to restrict the negotiations to its long-running nuclear dispute with Western countries.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States was ready to meet if Iran wanted to do so, but added that talks would have to include Iran’s ballistic missiles, its support for armed proxy groups around the Middle East, and its treatment of its own people, in addition to nuclear issues.
A senior Iranian official said Iran’s missile programme was “off the table.” A second senior Iranian official said Tehran would welcome negotiations over the nuclear dispute but that U.S. insistence on dealing with non-nuclear issues could jeopardize the talks.
Participants
Officials said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was due to take part in the talks, along with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
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