Iran says nuclear talks with US to be held in Muscat on Friday

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that nuclear talks with the United States are set to be held in the Omani capital Muscat at around 10 a.m. on Friday.

A US official confirmed that talks between the two countries will take place on Friday in Oman.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should be “very worried,” as Washington builds up its military forces in the region.

“I would say he should be very worried, yeah, he should be,” Trump said in an interview.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier on Wednesday that the United States was ready to meet Iran this week but discussions must cover its missile and nuclear programs as well as its support for regional militias.

“In order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes their nuclear program and that includes the treatment of their own people,” Rubio said.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that any negotiations must remain limited to its nuclear program, rejecting talks on its missile program or its support for regional proxies.

Friday’s talks come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the United States in recent days deploying an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran.

Tehran has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest.

The US-based HRANA rights groups says it has confirmed 6,872 deaths, most of them protesters killed by security forces, while other rights groups warn the true toll is likely far higher.