Iran seeks nuclear-only US talks, to drop Turkey as host: Source
Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format and a possible shift to Oman has frustrated mediators.
ANKARA — Iran has been seeking to shift the format and venue of upcoming negotiations in Turkey with the United States, fueling frustration among regional mediators.
“Iran now is seeking an entirely different meeting from start to finish,” a regional source told Al-Monitor amid mounting uncertainty over whether the long-awaited talks will proceed and on what terms.
The change of heart follows earlier plans for a meeting in Istanbul on Friday that would have brought together US and Iranian officials with key regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The agenda was expected to be broad, encompassing Iran’s nuclear program and stockpiles of enriched uranium as well as its missile capabilities and its support for armed groups across the region.
That framework has now been thrown into doubt.
“Now Iran wants to discuss only the nuclear file, and only with the United States,” the source said.
The source added that Iran is pushing to change not only the venue of the talks but their substance and format, limiting them strictly to the nuclear file. Washington has indicated that a deal must comprehensively address Iran's regional military posture.
An Iranian official told Al-Monitor that the venue for Friday's talks wasn't finalized, and that both Oman and Turkey "are options on the table."
It remains unclear how the United States will respond to Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format.
US officials have been wary of reverting to talks in Oman, where previous rounds of indirect Iran-US negotiations failed to yield tangible results.
“This has so far been a formula the United States has rejected,” the source said. “The question now is how the United States will respond.”
Know more: A number of Iranian vessels attempted to halt a US-flagged oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday and a US F-35C fighter jet shot down a drone hovering near an American aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday that US officials were still scheduled for talks with Iran later this week despite the incidents at sea.
Elizabeth Hagedorn contributed to this report.
