Shafaqna India: Tehran has asked for a change of venue ahead of planned talks between US and Iranian officials this week, after President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed ordering the initiation of dialogue with Washington.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office also confirmed that it had been invited to participate in the Iran-US talks aimed at de-escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington.
According to earlier reports, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were supposed to meet in Istanbul on Friday in an effort to revive diplomacy over a long-running dispute about Iran’s nuclear programme and dispel fears of a new regional war.
The Reuters news agency, however, reported on Tuesday night that instead of Istanbul, Iranian officials are asking that the talks be held in Oman instead, and that the scope be narrowed to two-way talks on nuclear issues only.
This latest uncertainty followed reports of escalatory moves in the Persian Gulf, where a US warplane shot down an alleged Iranian drone that was said to be approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Earlier, a US-flagged tanker was approached and challenged by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, before continuing on its way, the British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said.
However, the White House reiterated that the proposed talks were still on, despite these hiccups.
“I just spoke with special envoy (Steve) Witkoff, and these talks as of right now are still scheduled,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, adding that they were due to happen “later this week.”
Hectic diplomacy
Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the US, provided they were free of threats, after his counterpart Donald Trump suggested “bad things” would happen without a deal.
“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 in a post on X.