DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Feb 3 - Iran has communicated a request that talks with the United States scheduled for this week be relocated to Oman rather than held in Turkey, and that their remit be confined to direct negotiations on nuclear matters, a regional source said on Tuesday. The demand raises questions about whether the session, currently set for Friday in Istanbul, will take place as arranged.
The Iranian effort to alter both the venue and the agenda unfolds against a backdrop of rising tensions in the region as the United States increases its military presence. Regional actors have pressed for de-escalation amid a standoff that has produced mutual threats of air strikes.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, U.S. military officials said they shot down an Iranian drone that they characterized as having "aggressively" approached the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that, with large U.S. warships en route to the area, "bad things" would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.
"They want to change the format, they want to change the scope," the regional diplomat with knowledge of Iran's demands said. "They only want to discuss the nuclear file with the Americans while the U.S. wants to include other topics such as the (ballistic) missiles and the activities of Iran's proxies in the region."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday that talks with Iran remained scheduled to take place later in the week.
A source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday that Jared Kushner was expected to take part in the discussions, together with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Ministers from several other countries in the region were also expected to be in attendance.
An Iranian diplomatic source earlier described Tehran's posture toward the talks as neither optimistic nor pessimistic, stressing that the Islamic Republic's defensive capabilities are non-negotiable and that it is prepared for any scenario. "It remains to be seen whether the United States also intends to conduct serious, results-oriented negotiations or not," the source added.
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