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Nuclear talks betwixt the United States and Iran are expected to instrumentality spot successful Oman connected Friday (February 6, 2026), a determination diplomat said, with a possible confrontation looming arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump builds up forces successful the Middle East.
Mr. Trump has warned that “bad things” would astir apt hap if a woody could not beryllium reached, ratcheting up unit connected the Islamic Republic successful a standoff that has led to communal threats of aerial strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a wider war.
Iran has said it volition not marque concessions connected its formidable ballistic rocket programme, calling that a reddish enactment successful negotiations.
The Trump medication agreed to an Iranian petition to determination the talks from Turkey and negotiations are inactive ongoing astir whether Arab and Muslim countries from the portion volition articulation the talks successful Oman, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said connected Tuesday, citing an Arab source.
Iran wants bilateral talks
The U.S. subject connected Tuesday (February 3, 2026) changeable down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln craft bearer successful the Arabian Sea, the U.S. subject said, successful an incidental archetypal reported by Reuters.
Mr. Trump told reporters astatine the White House connected Tuesday (February 3, 2026): “We are negotiating with them close now.” But helium did not elaborate and declined to accidental wherever helium expected the talks to instrumentality place.
A root acquainted with the concern said Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was owed to instrumentality portion successful the talks, on with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Ministers from respective different countries successful the portion including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had besides been expected to attend, but the determination root told Reuters that Tehran present wanted lone bilateral talks with the U.S.
The U.S. naval buildup follows Iran’s convulsive crackdown against anti-government demonstrations past period successful the deadliest home unrest successful Iran since its 1979 revolution.
Mr. Trump, who stopped abbreviated of carrying retired threats to intervene, has since demanded atomic concessions from Iran and sent a flotilla to its coast.
The precedence of the diplomatic effort is to debar struggle and de-escalate tension, a determination authoritative told Reuters earlier.
Iran’s enactment is progressively disquieted a U.S. onslaught could interruption its grip connected powerfulness by driving an already enraged nationalist backmost onto the streets, according to six existent and erstwhile Iranian officials.
If U.S. strikes Iran, ‘this clip it volition beryllium a determination war’: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Confrontations astatine sea
With tensions moving high, an Iranian Shahed-139 drone flying toward the Abraham Lincoln craft bearer “with unclear intent” was changeable down by an F-35 U.S. combatant pitchy connected Tuesday (February 3, 2026), the U.S. subject said.
Iran’s Tasnim quality bureau said transportation had been mislaid with a drone successful planetary waters, but the crushed was unknown.
The U.S. Central Command said successful different incidental connected Tuesday (February 3, 2026), this 1 successful the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces harassed a U.S.-flagged tanker.
“Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative astatine precocious speeds and threatened to committee and prehend the tanker,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Central Command, said.
Maritime hazard absorption radical Vanguard said the Iranian boats ordered the tanker to halt its motor and hole to beryllium boarded. Instead, the tanker sped up and continued its voyage.
In June, the United States struck Iranian atomic targets, joining successful astatine the close of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Since then, Tehran has said its uranium enrichment enactment - which it says is for peaceful, not subject purposes - has stopped.
Iranian sources told Reuters past week that Mr. Trump had demanded 3 conditions for resumption of talks: zero enrichment of uranium successful Iran, limits connected Tehran’s ballistic rocket programme and ending its enactment for determination proxies.
Iran has agelong said each 3 demands are unacceptable infringements of its sovereignty, but 2 Iranian officials told Reuters its clerical rulers saw the ballistic rocket programme, alternatively than uranium enrichment, arsenic the bigger obstacle.
