US-Iran talks uncertain as Tehran pushes to sideline regional countries
Iran is also pushing to move the negotiations to Oman and to exclude its missile program from the talks.
WASHINGTON — Ahead of planned negotiations with the United States, Iran is seeking to block the participation of regional countries that are likely to press for concessions beyond its nuclear program.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that he had instructed his foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States, as senior officials from the two countries are expected to meet on Friday in hopes of negotiating a deal that could forestall President Donald Trump’s threatened military action.
The Iranians are now seeking to move the planned talks from the Turkish city of Istanbul to Oman, the Gulf country that has long served as an intermediary in negotiations between Iran and the United States. Tehran also seeks to focus the talks solely on its nuclear program rather than its missile program or regional proxies, a regional source said.
Officials from Turkey, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were initially expected to attend the talks, along with Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff; his son-in-law Jared Kushner; and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a Turkish source told Al-Monitor on Monday.
