Iran eyes progress towards US nuclear talks as tension eases

Iran has said that it expects progress on a framework to restart nuclear talks with the United States as unverified reports suggest the country’s president has ordered the revival of the negotiations.

Tehran said on Monday that it is examining several diplomatic processes pitched by countries in the region to ease tensions with Washington, adding that it expects a framework for talks in the coming days.
The announcement comes as Tehran and Washington appear to be pulling back from the threat of military action.

The Reuters news agency, citing unnamed Iranian and US officials, said Tehran and Washington ‍will hold talks on Friday in Istanbul, which will be attended by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi.

The AFP news agency quoted an unnamed regional official as saying that a “potential meeting” was likely to take place on Friday in Turkiye thanks to diplomacy involving Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt and Oman.

US President Donald Trump sent warships to the Middle East after Iran violently cracked down on mass protests in January, but then called for Tehran to make a deal to resume talks on its nuclear programme, which were abandoned in June when Israel and the US attacked Iran.

On Sunday, Trump said the US was talking with Iran. Tehran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has now confirmed that indirect negotiations are ongoing.

“Countries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages,” he said on Monday without giving details on the content of the negotiations.
“Several points have been addressed, and we are examining and finalising the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days.”

The state news agency IRNA reported that Foreign Minister Araghchi held telephone calls with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye to discuss the latest developments.

Later, the Fars news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had ordered the resumption of nuclear talks.

“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” Fars reported without specifying a date. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the Shargh daily.

Araghchi is due to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff for negotiations against this backdrop, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported on Monday. Neither Tehran nor Washington has verified that a meeting has been arranged.

Meanwhile, a White House official said ⁠Witkoff would ​arrive in ‍Israel on Tuesday, where he will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters reported.