Washington/Tehran: The United States has firmly rejected Iran’s request to change the venue and format of the scheduled bilateral negotiations.
According to reports in US media, Washington has completely turned down Tehran’s demand to alter the agreed venue and format for the talks set to take place on Friday.
The US position is clear: Iran must accept the existing format and venue, or the negotiations will not proceed.
This comes after earlier media claims suggesting that Iran had successfully persuaded the US to shift the talks from Istanbul to Oman.
The firm US stance underscores the current impasse, with both sides yet to confirm whether the high-stakes discussions aimed at de-escalating regional tensions, will go ahead as originally planned.
According to a website report citing a senior US official, Washington delivered a clear message to Iran: “It’s either this format or nothing.” The Iranian side reportedly responded, “Okay, then nothing.”
The official added that if Iran agrees to return to the originally agreed format and venue, the United States is prepared to hold the meeting as early as this week or next week.
The official further warned: “We want to reach a real agreement quickly, otherwise people will start looking at other options,” a clear reference to President Trump’s repeated threats of military action.
On the Iranian side, a senior official told a foreign news agency that the US insistence on discussing non-nuclear issues could jeopardize the talks in Oman. Iran, he said, is only willing to negotiate on the nuclear dispute.
According to US officials, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner will travel to Qatar on Thursday for discussions related to Iran, where they are scheduled to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister.
