Report: US-Iran Talks Back On

U.S.–Iran nuclear negotiations set for Friday are back on after urgent lobbying from several Middle Eastern leaders persuaded the Trump administration not to pull out, two U.S. officials told Axios. The talks will now take place in Oman, which Iran insisted on, despite the U.S. initially refusing to move the meeting from Istanbul.

The reversal followed growing regional fears that President Trump might pivot toward military action if the meeting collapsed. At least nine countries in the Middle East contacted the White House at the highest levels, urging Washington to stay the course. “They asked us to keep the meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say. We have told the Arabs that we will do the meeting if they insist. But we are very skeptical,” one U.S. official said. Another official added that the administration agreed to proceed “to be respectful” to regional allies and to maintain a diplomatic path.

The U.S. and Iran had originally agreed to meet in Istanbul with several Middle Eastern nations observing. But on Tuesday, Iran asked to relocate the talks to Oman and hold them bilaterally to ensure the discussions focused solely on nuclear matters instead of additional issues such as missiles, which are key priorities for the U.S. and its regional partners. U.S. officials initially considered the change, then rejected it, before switching course again after Axios reported the meeting was canceled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on X that the talks were “scheduled to be held in Muscat on about 10 am Friday,” thanking Omani officials “for making all necessary arrangements.” Earlier in the day, a senior U.S. official had said, “We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘Ok, then nothing.’” The official added, “We want to reach a real deal quickly or people will look at other options,” a reference to Trump’s repeated military threats. Another U.S. official said, “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.”

The original plan in Istanbul involved two tracks: direct U.S.–Iran talks on a potential nuclear deal and a broader multilateral dialogue addressing Iran’s missile program, support for proxy groups, and human rights abuses in its recent crackdown on protesters. For now, only the bilateral nuclear talks will take place in Oman.

On Tuesday, White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli defense officials to coordinate positions ahead of the talks. Israeli officials said Witkoff was briefed on updated intelligence about Iran and that Netanyahu emphasized Iran could not be trusted.

Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Qatar on Thursday for additional discussions about Iran before continuing to Oman for the talks. U.S. officials remain doubtful that recent behavior from Iran, combined with a lack of progress in previous rounds, will allow for any meaningful breakthrough.

“We are not naive about the Iranians. If there is a real conversation to have we will have it but we are not going to waste our time,” a second U.S. official said. The story continues to develop.