US-Iran nuclear talks set for Oman amid rising Middle East tensions
Planned talks moving from Turkey after a US jet downs an Iranian drone, though the role of regional Arab allies remains in limbo
Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Oman on Friday, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported Wednesday. The meeting comes as a possible confrontation looms, with US President Donald Trump building up forces in the Middle East
Trump has warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic in a stand-off that has led to mutual threats of air strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a wider war.
Iran has said it will not make concessions on its formidable ballistic missile programme, calling that a red line in negotiations.
Tehran, which says it replenished its ballistic missile stockpile following last year’s Israeli attacks, has warned that it will unleash the weapons to defend the Islamic Republic if its security is under threat.
The Trump administration agreed to an Iranian request to move the talks from Turkey and negotiations were still ongoing about whether Arab and Muslim countries from the region would join the talks in Oman, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on Tuesday, citing an Arab source.
