US-Iran negotiations It is expected to be held in Oman on Friday, sources told CBS News, after the meeting The US military says it shot down an Iranian jet and Iranian forces have threatened to seize a US-flagged ship.
Iran wants direct talks with the US without the usual third-party mediator, according to two sources – an Arab spokesman and a source familiar with the matter. The exact format has long been sought by the Trump administration.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that talks are scheduled for Friday morning in the Omani capital of Muscat on Wednesday afternoon X post.
Talks were tense for part of the day on Wednesday as the US and Iran disagreed over territory and borders, but two US officials and a White House official confirmed to CBS News that the meeting was going ahead as planned.
The leaders of at least nine Arab and Muslim countries in the region urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to withdraw from diplomatic talks, officials told CBS News, confirming an earlier Axios report.
An Arab lawyer told CBS that the limits of the negotiations remain in question. The US had sought direct talks covering matters beyond Iran’s nuclear program, including ballistic missiles and its activities in the region. Araghchi’s social media post called the talks “nuclear talks.”
CBS News confirmed that Saudi Arabia will not participate in the talks. It is not clear whether representatives of any other Arab or Muslim countries besides Oman will be present in Muscat. The White House did not confirm whether the Omanis or other countries will participate in the talks themselves as third-party negotiators, or whether they will be direct talks between the US and Iran.
Iran has refused to hold talks in Turkey, which was the first proposed venue.
The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Tehran and Iran is still designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the US government.
Before these talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump’s ambassador Steve Witkoff on Tuesday in Israel. Netanyahu told Witkoff that Iran has proven that its promises cannot be relied upon, according to the meeting.
Israel remains skeptical of the negotiations between the Arabs and the Turks of the US who have tried to unite to avoid US strikes against Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference Wednesday that Witkoff is ready to meet with Iran on Friday.
“They have shown an interest in meeting and talking. If they change their mind, we are fine with that. We prefer to meet and talk,” said Rubio. “I’m not sure you can reach an agreement with these guys, but we’ll try to find out.”
In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he had heard that Iran was looking to restart its nuclear program in a different location, and he said he conveyed to the Iranians that if they do, “we will do very bad things to you.”
Asked whether Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should be worried right now, Mr. Trump said, “I would say he should be very concerned. Yes, he should. As you know, they are negotiating with us.”
Drone and tank incidents
The US military said the Shahed-139 fighter jet “forcefully” approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while sailing in the Arabian Sea about 500 kilometers off Iran’s southern coast on Tuesday. This plane flew to this company “despite the measures to reduce the level taken by the US military operating in international waters,” said US Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins in a statement.
“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down an Iranian jet in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and its crew,” Hawkins said. “No US service members were injured during the incident, and no US equipment was damaged.”
Hours later, in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian plane and two boats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “threatened to board and seize” the American-flagged vessel, Hawkins said.
American merchant ship, i IM/V Stena Imperative“He was legally crossing an international sea route,” he said. The situation eased after the USS McCaul responded to the scene and escorted the ship to windward.
US military build-up near Iran
The US has built up a military presence near Iran in recent days. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three destroyers have been in the Arabian Sea since Tuesday, according to a Navy official. Other destroyers were stationed in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, while three warships were in the Persian Gulf.
Mr. Trump told reporters last month that the military was sending ships to the Middle East “just in case,” as his administration watched Iran’s response to mass protests that erupted in December. Thousands of protesters it is believed that they were killed in the raid exhibitions.
The president told reporters last week that he had held talks with Iranian officials and planned to hold more talks.
“I told them two things: No. 1, no nuclear. No. 2, stop killing protesters,” said the president. “They have to do something.”
Iran’s supreme leader has done so he warned that any US attack would cause a “regional war” in the Middle East.
I The US has attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities Last summer.
