WASHINGTON: The US is negotiating with Iran “right now,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
“They are negotiating,” Trump told reporters at the White House, without providing further details.
His remarks came after a US fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday after it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
“They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn’t work out, and we did (Operation) Midnight Hammer. I don’t think they want that happening again, but they would like to negotiate.
“We are negotiating with them right now,” he said.
Iran decided to move talks with the United States from Istanbul to Oman because it wanted the discussions to be a continuation of previous negotiations there over its nuclear program, a regional official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran had since the beginning stressed that it would only discuss its nuclear program in the talks, while Washington wanted other issues on the agenda as well.
The regional official said Tehran was aware that countries in the region were invited to participate in the talks in Istanbul during the planning process.
Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the US following requests “from friendly governments.”
“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote Tuesday in a post on X.
He added that the talks followed requests “from friendly governments.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that preparations are underway to hold talks with the US in the coming days, with consultations ongoing to finalize the venue.
“Planning has been made to hold the talks in the next few days, and consultations are underway to determine the location of the talks, which will be announced as soon as they are finalized,” said spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
Earlier, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to have conversations with the Iranians later this week.
Witkoff had been scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday for talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to multiple reports.
Axios, however, reported Tuesday that Iran demanded changes to the location and stipulated that Tehran wants to change the format.
Reports suggested that representatives from Turkiye, Egypt and Qatar were expected to join the talks, but Axios said Iran is now pushing to hold the talks directly. It also said that Tehran wants to move the location from Istanbul to Oman.
