Dubai: Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place Friday in Oman, the Iranian foreign minister said, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.
The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, sent a blunt warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of the talks.
“I would say he should be very worried,” Trump said of Khamenei in an interview with NBC News. Earlier Wednesday, a regional official said Iran was seeking a “different” type of meeting than that what had been proposed by Turkey, one focused exclusively on the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme, with participation limited to Iran and the United States. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. The Trump administration confirmed the US will take part in high-level talks with Iran in Oman instead of Turkey as originally planned, according to a White House official. The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that several Arab and Muslim leaders urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to walk away from talks even as Iranian officials pressed to narrow the scope of talks and change the venue for the negotiations. The official added that the White House remains “very skeptical” that the talks will be successful but has agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region. Tensions between the countries spiked after Trump suggested the US might use force against Iran in response to the crackdown on protesters.