Oman likely to host Iran-US talks on Friday: Reports

Nuclear talks ‌between the US ​and Iran ‍are expected to ​take ​place ⁠in the Sultanate of Oman on Friday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on ‌Tuesday, citing an Arab ​source.

President Donald ‌Trump's ‍administration agreed ⁠to the Iranian request to move the talks from Turkiye, and ​negotiations are still ongoing about whether other countries from the region will join the talks in Oman, Ravid added, ​citing the source.

Iran is demanding that talks with ‌the U.S. this week be held in Oman, not Turkiye, and that the scope be narrowed to two-way negotiations on nuclear issues only, a regional source said on Tuesday, adding new complications to an already delicate diplomatic effort.

Iran's move to change the venue and agenda for the talks, scheduled for Friday in Istanbul, came amid heightened tensions as the US builds up forces in the Middle East.

Regional players have pushed for a resolution of a standoff that has led to mutual threats of air strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a wider war.

The U.S. military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. military said, in an incident first reported by Reuters.

U.S. ​President Donald Trump said that with U.S. warships heading to Iran, "bad things" would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.

"They want to change the format, they want to change ‌the scope," said the regional diplomat with knowledge of Iran's demands.

"They only want to discuss the nuclear file with the Americans, while the US wants to include other topics.

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that talks with Iran were still scheduled to take place later this week.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said consultations on the venue were still underway, Iranian Nour News reported later on Tuesday.

The spokesperson ‌said planning has been carried out to hold the negotiations in the coming days and that Turkey, Oman ‍and several other countries had expressed a readiness ‌to host the meeting.

Iranian President on Tuesday that he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency”, provided that a “suitable environment exists”.