US and Iran to hold nuclear talks Friday in Oman despite tensions over demands
Secretary of State Rubio said the US prefers diplomacy with Iran but expressed doubt a deal can be reached. Talks are scheduled for Friday morning in Muscat.
1 hr ago
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States would prefer to make a deal with Iran rather than engage in military conflict, but expressed uncertainty about the prospects for success.
"We would prefer to make a deal rather than go to war with these guys," Rubio said. "I'm just not sure a deal can be reached with these guys."
Nuclear talks between the US and Iran are scheduled for Friday morning around 10 a.m. in Muscat, Oman, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who announced the meeting on social media.
The talks had been cancelled earlier Wednesday after Iran made last-minute demands to change the venue and content of the diplomatic discussion, according to reporting by Axios citing unnamed US officials. The original plan called for Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet Iranian officials in Istanbul for de-escalatory talks.
Following Iran's demands, the Trump administration initially shut down the scheduled discussions. However, the meeting was revived after several Arab and Muslim leaders pressed the administration urgently to continue diplomatic efforts, Axios reported, citing American sources. According to one source, the Trump administration accepted the meeting in "respect" of requests from allies and to "continue to follow the diplomatic path."
An Israeli official told Ynet that the gap between the parties is too wide to be bridged, describing the positions as "too distant" to overcome. The official made these comments at the end of a day of discussions.
President Trump said Wednesday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should be "very worried" as the talks were initially cancelled. Trump told NBC News that the administration has backed protesters in Iran and noted that "their country's a mess right now because of us," referring to US efforts targeting Tehran's nuclear program.
The US has moved approximately 10 warships to waters near Iran following Tehran's crackdown on protesters last month. The dispute over the talks centers partly on Iran's ballistic missile supply and its treatment of demonstrators, according to US officials.