Iran, US to hold nuclear talks Friday as tensions remain high

DUBAI — Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place Friday in Oman, the Iranian foreign minister said, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.

The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks.

”I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday evening.

Earlier Wednesday, a regional official said Iran was seeking a “different” type of meeting than that what had been proposed by Turkey, one focused exclusively on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, with participation limited to Iran and the United States. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The Trump administration confirmed the U.S. will take part in high-level talks with Iran in Oman instead of Turkey as originally planned, according to a White House official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that several Arab and Muslim leaders urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to walk away from talks even as Iranian officials pressed to narrow the scope of talks and change the venue for the negotiations.

The official added that the White House remains “very skeptical” that the talks will be successful but have agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region.

Tensions between the countries spiked after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. might use force against Iran in response to the crackdown on protesters. Trump also has been pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program.

Rubio hopes talks will go beyond nuclear ones

Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said he had instructed the foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S., in the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate. That signaled the move is supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state and previously dismissed any negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. hoped to discuss a number of concerns beyond the nuclear issue, including discussions on Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region and the “treatment of their own people.”

“The leadership of Iran at the clerical level does not reflect the people of Iran. I know of no other country where there’s a bigger difference between the people who lead the country and the people who live there,” he told reporters.

Vice President JD Vance told “The Megyn Kelly Show” that diplomatic talks with Iran are challenging because of Tehran’s political system, overseen by Khamenei.

“It’s a very weird country to conduct diplomacy with when you can’t even talk to the person who’s in charge of the country. That makes all of this much more complicated, and it makes the whole situation much more absurd,” Vance said, noting that Trump could speak directly by phone with the leaders of Russia, China or North Korea.

Vance said Trump’s bottom line is that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, asserting that other states in the region would quickly do the same.

Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. However, Iranian officials in recent years have increasingly threatened to pursue the bomb.

Vance said he believed Trump would work to “accomplish what he can through non-military means. And if he feels like the military is the only option, then he’s ultimately going to choose that option.”

Talks expected even after US shot down Iranian drone

On Tuesday, a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier. Iranian fast boats from its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also tried to stop a U.S.-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Navy said.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge either incident, which strained but apparently did not derail hopes for talks with the U.S.

On Wednesday, Iranian military chiefs visited a missile base in an attempt to highlight its military readiness after a 12-day war with Israel in June devastated Iran’s air defenses. The base holds the Khorramshahr missile, which has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and was launched towards Israel during the war last year.

Turkey urges diplomacy

Also Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s opposition to foreign intervention in neighboring Iran, calling for the resolution of issues through dialogue.

Turkey has been urgently working for the past week to bring the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table, and was previously expected to host the talks.

“We believe that external interventions involving our neighbor Iran would pose significant risks for the entire region,” Erdogan said during a visit to Cairo. “Resolving issues with Iran, including the nuclear file, through diplomatic means is the most appropriate approach.”

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Farnoush Amiri in New York, Aamer Madhani in Washington, Moriah Balingit in Washington, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.

迪拜——伊朗外交部长表示，伊朗和美国之间的核谈判将于周五在阿曼举行。此前，德黑兰上个月对全国范围内的抗议活动进行了血腥镇压，导致两国关系依然高度紧张。

伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇周三发表声明之前，已有数小时迹象表明，由于会谈形式和内容的变化，预期中的会谈陷入僵局。

“我感谢我们的阿曼兄弟们做出了所有必要的安排，”​​阿拉格奇周三晚上在X上写道。

周三早些时候，一位地区官员表示，伊朗正在寻求一种与土耳其提议的“不同”的会晤形式，即专门讨论伊朗核计划问题，且仅限伊朗和美国参加。这位官员因未获授权向媒体透露消息而要求匿名。

据白宫官员透露，特朗普政府已确认，美国将与伊朗在阿曼举行高级别会谈，而不是像原计划那样在土耳其举行。

这位不愿透露姓名的官员表示，尽管伊朗官员施压要求缩小谈判范围并更改谈判地点，但几位阿拉伯和穆斯林领导人周三敦促特朗普政府不要退出谈判。他没有被授权公开评论此事。

这位官员补充说，白宫仍然“非常怀疑”会谈能否成功，但出于对该地区盟友的尊重，已经同意接受计划的改变。

美国总统特朗普暗示美国可能对伊朗动武以回应其镇压抗议活动，此举导致两国关系急剧紧张。特朗普还一直敦促德黑兰达成协议，限制其核计划。

卢比奥希望谈判能超越核能范畴。

伊朗改革派总统马苏德·佩泽什基安周二表示，他已指示外交部长与美国“进行公平公正的谈判”。这是德黑兰方面首次明确释放出希望尝试谈判的信号。此举表明，伊朗最高领袖阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊支持这一举动。哈梅内伊对所有国家事务拥有最终决定权，此前他曾否决任何谈判。

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥表示，美国希望讨论除核问题之外的一系列关切，包括伊朗的弹道导弹、对该地区代理人网络的支持以及“对待本国人民的方式”。

“伊朗宗教领袖的思想并不能代表伊朗人民。我不知道还有哪个国家像伊朗这样，领导人和人民之间存在如此巨大的差异，”他告诉记者。

副总统 JD Vance 在“梅根·凯利秀”节目中表示，由于德黑兰的政治体制由哈梅内伊掌控，与伊朗进行外交谈判充满挑战。

“如果你连这个国家的领导人都无法直接对话，那么与这个国家开展外交就非常奇怪。这让一切都变得更加复杂，也让整个局势更加荒谬，”万斯说道，并指出特朗普可以直接与俄罗斯、中国或朝鲜的领导人通电话。

万斯表示，特朗普的底线是绝不允许伊朗发展核武器，并断言该地区其他国家也会迅速效仿。

伊朗长期以来一直坚称其核计划是和平的。然而，近年来，伊朗官员越来越多地威胁要继续研发核武器。

万斯表示，他相信特朗普会“尽力通过非军事手段达成目标。如果他认为军事是唯一选择，那么他最终会选择这条路。”

即使美国击落伊朗无人机后，预计仍将举行会谈。

周二，一架美国海军战斗机击落了一架接近美国航空母舰的伊朗无人机。海军方面称，伊朗准军事部队革命卫队的快艇还试图在霍尔木兹海峡（波斯湾的狭窄入口）拦截一艘悬挂美国国旗的船只。

伊朗方面并未立即对这两起事件作出回应，这虽然令双方的谈判希望变得紧张，但显然并未彻底破灭。

周三，伊朗军方高层视察了一处导弹基地，试图展现其在6月与以色列持续12天的战争后，其军事战备状态。那场战争重创了伊朗的防空系统。该基地部署了射程超过2000公里（1250英里）的“霍拉姆沙赫尔”导弹，该导弹曾在去年的战争中被发射射向以色列。

土耳其敦促采取外交手段

周三，土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安重申了土耳其反对外国干涉邻国伊朗的立场，呼吁通过对话解决问题。

过去一周，土耳其一直在紧急努力促成美国和伊朗坐到谈判桌前，此前人们曾预期土耳其将主办会谈。

埃尔多安在访问开罗期间表示：“我们认为，外部势力干预邻国伊朗事务将对整个地区构成重大风险。通过外交手段解决与伊朗的问题，包括核问题，才是最恰当的做法。”

美联社驻安卡拉记者苏珊·弗雷泽、驻纽约记者法努什·阿米里、驻华盛顿记者阿米尔·马德哈尼、驻华盛顿记者莫里亚·巴林吉特和驻耶路撒冷记者梅兰妮·利德曼对此文亦有贡献。