Discussions have been underway for representatives of the United States and Iran to meet in an attempt to defuse the threat of conflict in the region. A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi now appears to be taking place. Araghchi confirmed that the meeting is “scheduled” for Friday in Oman.
The White House announced later Wednesday evening that the planned meeting will be moved from Istanbul, Turkey, to Oman at the request of Arab leaders.
Cautious Rubio
At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautiously hinted that a meeting could take place, and that issues related to Iran's missile and nuclear energy programs would be included in the talks, and that additional issues could be raised.
The media company Axios reported on Wednesday afternoon that negotiations had stalled over a proposal to move the meeting from Istanbul to Oman.
The Trump administration has mobilized militarily off the coast of Iran, and President Donald Trump warned late Wednesday in an interview with NBC that "Iran's supreme leader should be worried."
Tehran, in turn, warns of strong retaliation if the US attacks the country.
Nuclear energy agreement
The dispute concerns, among other things, Iran's build-up of its nuclear energy program - which could lead to Iran gaining access to nuclear weapons. Previous agreements to control the nuclear energy program, the so-called JCPOA agreement from 2015, were repealed by Trump during his first term.
Talks involving Britain, France, and Germany have failed - leading to the reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran in September.
The United States also demonstrated its military might in attacks on suspected nuclear facilities during the twelve-day war between Israel and Iran.
Trump's threats against the regime in Tehran have also intensified after Iran's brutal and deadly crackdown on the popular uprising against the regime in the country.
