{"id":9741,"date":"2026-02-05T16:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T03:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=9741"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T03:42:36","slug":"trump-iran-edge-toward-nuclear-talks-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=9741","title":{"rendered":"Trump, Iran edge toward nuclear-talks showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The upcoming U.S.-Iran nuclear talks are now expected to be held in Oman on Friday, after the Trump administration agreed to Tehran\u2019s request to move the venue from Turkey, Axios<\/em> reported on Tuesday, citing an Arab source familiar with the discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The source told reporter Barak Ravid that there are ongoing negotiations about whether Arab and Muslim regional countries will join the talks in the Gulf state, with the White House declining to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday that he had instructed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to pursue\u00a0talks\u00a0proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Axios<\/em> reported on Monday that White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Araghchi were expected to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible nuclear agreement, with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan also expected to take part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ravid reported on Tuesday, citing two sources with knowledge of the talks, that the Iranian regime now wants to hold only bilateral talks with the United States, without Arab and Muslim representatives as observers because, according to one source, the Iranians only want to discuss the nuclear file and not other topics such as the Islamic Republic\u2019s ballistic missile program and support for Middle Eastern terrorist proxies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saudi source: Talks meant to \u2018buy time\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid preparations for the talks, a source in the Saudi royal family told Israel\u2019s Channel 12 News<\/em> that Riyadh views the negotiations as largely a bid to \u201cbuy time\u201d and is taking part at Trump\u2019s request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The source said\u00a0Saudi Arabia\u00a0has set a clear red line that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, the kingdom will seek a matching capability, while publicly stressing it will remain neutral in any U.S.-Iran military conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan is expected to attend as part of a Saudi diplomatic and security delegation, the source added, while emphasizing that Riyadh\u2019s primary goal is regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The source predicted that in the event of an American attack on the Iranian regime, \u201cI do not expect Iran to strike areas outside of American military bases in the Gulf states. And if such a thing were to happen, the damage, if any, would be limited to the Gulf states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Saudis are closely watching the White House\u2019s moves, with the source saying that Trump is \u201chesitating\u201d and that \u201che wants to pressure Iran into a new agreement and doesn\u2019t want war, because he knows its economic consequences. Therefore, he wanted us to act as mediators between him and Iran. Tehran is aware of this and is patient in the negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo be fair, they\u2019re convincing Trump, so he\u2019s about to make a decision and then changes his mind when the Iranian negotiator convinces him through the mediators,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur message to Trump is: If you want to overthrow the regime in Tehran, don\u2019t repeat what happened in Iraq. You brought something worse than Saddam, and the Shah\u2019s son will not be accepted by the Iranian public. If you can\u2019t do that, at least prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities and developing its missile capabilities. That\u2019s the least you can do,\u201d the source in the Saudi royal house concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be the sixth round of nuclear negotiations during Trump\u2019s second term, with the first round on April 12, 2025, in Muscat, Oman. The last round of indirect nuclear negotiations took place in Rome<\/a> on May 23, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian military carries out \u2018very aggressive\u2019 actions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday\u2019s expected nuclear talks come as a potential military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran keeps the region on a razor\u2019s edge as Trump builds up American forces<\/a> in the region and continues to explore options following last month\u2019s deadly crackdown by the regime on Iranian protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iranian military carried out two \u201cvery aggressive\u201d actions toward U.S. vessels in the Gulf on Tuesday, a U.S. official told Axios<\/em>, heightening tensions just days before planned nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first encounter, Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats attempted to board a U.S.-flagged commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz but withdrew before a Navy destroyer arrived to escort the vessel with Air Force support. No shots were fired, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours later, an Iranian drone with \u201cunclear intent\u201d approached the USS Abraham Lincoln<\/em><\/a> aircraft carrier and was downed<\/a> by an F-35 fighter jet, U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cContinued Iranian harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated,\u201d Hawkins said in a statement, warning that such actions increase the risk of \u201ccollision, miscalculation, and regional destabilization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Witkoff had been briefed on the incidents, along with new Iranian demands to alter the venue and format of the latest round of nuclear negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the flare-up, she said the talks remain scheduled for later this week. \u201cIt takes two to tango,\u201d Leavitt said, adding that Trump remains committed to diplomacy while keeping \u201call options on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netanyahu wary as Iranian regime presses for leverage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s foreign ministry said negotiations over location were continuing, telling state media the venue \u201cshould not be used as fodder for media games,\u201d according to Axios<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the diplomatic overtures, Araghchi held calls Tuesday with his Omani and Turkish counterparts and Qatar\u2019s prime minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Israel, Witkoff<\/a> met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was joined by senior defense and intelligence chiefs for talks focused on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netanyahu<\/a> cautioned against trusting Iranian promises in his meeting with Witkoff, warning the special envoy to the Middle East that \u201cIran has proven time and time again that its promises cannot be trusted,\u201d according to a statement from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Republicans signaled their backing for Trump\u2019s stance, writing on X that they \u201cstand behind the President,\u201d calling Iran responsible for \u201catrocities against its own people\u201d and for having \u201cAmerican blood on its hands,\u201d and warning that \u201cthe Ayatollah should heed President Trump\u2019s warnings,\u201d the Senate GOP conference posted early Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The upcoming U.S.-Iran nuclear talks are now expected to be held in Oman on Friday, after the Trump administration agreed to Tehran\u2019s request to move the venue from Turkey, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing an Arab source familiar with the discussions. The source told reporter Barak Ravid that there are ongoing negotiations about whether Arab and Muslim<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[178,460,181,179,300],"coauthors":[459],"class_list":{"0":"post-9741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-2","8":"tag-iran","9":"tag-peace-talks","10":"tag-trump","11":"tag-usa","12":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9744,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9741\/revisions\/9744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9741"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=9741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}