TEHRAN, Feb. 5 — Iran’s nuclear talks with the United States will be held in Oman’s Muscat on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday.
He said on social media platform X that the talks will take place at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), thanking the Omani side for “making all necessary arrangements.”
Shortly after, several Western media outlets reported that Washington has agreed to hold the talks on Friday in Oman, after being lobbied by at least nine Mideast countries.
The announcement came after U.S. media outlets reported earlier in the day that the talks could be cancelled over the two sides’ disagreement on location and format.
The two sides had previously agreed to meet on Friday in Istanbul, Türkiye, with some other Mideast countries participating as observers.
On Tuesday, Iran reportedly proposed moving the talks to Oman and holding them in a bilateral format focused only on nuclear issues.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. media outlet Axios, citing two U.S. officials, reported that Washington had decided to reject Iran’s requirement.
“We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘OK, then nothing,'” Axios quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.
The official said Washington remains open to talks in the coming days if Iran returns to the original arrangement, warning that failure to reach a deal could lead Washington to consider other options, including military action.
U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are expected to travel to Qatar on Thursday, but do not plan to meet Iranian officials, Axios added.
Despite the imminent talks, tensions between Tehran and Washington have shown no sign of easing. On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced that a U.S. F-35C warplane “was forced” to shoot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone in the Arabian Sea “in an act of self-defense,” whereas Iran’s Fars news agency said the drone completed a “surveillance mission” in international waters.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps unveiled a new underground missile base, saying it has changed its military doctrine “from defensive to offensive” following the 12-day war with Israel last year, and is “ready for any action from the enemies.”
Meanwhile, Trump warned Wednesday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should be “very worried,” as Washington is building up its military forces in the Middle East. (Namibia Daily News Xinhua)
