Planned US-Iran talks this week have been thrown into doubt after Tehran backed out of understandings over the location and format of the negotiations, Barak Ravid of Axios and Israel’s Channel 12 reports. Two senior American officials tell Ravid that talks that had been slated for Friday were effectively canceled after Iran sought to alter agreed arrangements. US officials say Turkey had brokered a framework for talks in Istanbul, including a direct US-Iran track focused on Tehran’s nuclear program and a broader regional track addressing Iran’s missile program, support for terror groups and human rights abuses following recent protests inside the Islamic Republic.
The officials say the Iranians then attempted to move the talks to Oman and exclude other participating countries, with Washington suspecting they were attempting to avoid any regional issues and focus only on the nuclear file. The Americans rejected this, telling Tehran it was “all or nothing,” and Tehran saying “Okay, then nothing.” “We didn’t want to be flexible here because if there is a deal, it has to be real. We didn’t want to go back to the old way of doing things,” an official says.
“We want to reach a real deal quickly, or people will look at other options,” one says, in reference to potential US strikes. “There is a good chance the talks won’t happen now at all this week,” another notes. Channel 12 says tensions continue to rise, with another US aircraft carrier said to be on its way as Washington continues its military buildup in the region. The network adds that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, currently in Abu Dhabi, are expected to travel to Qatar to consult with Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani. (Read More)
