Negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held on February 6 in Oman. This was announced to the Amwaj website by several Iranian sources, explaining that direct talks, that is, with both sides in the same room, are not currently planned.
The American website Axios also reported that the talks will take place in Oman, citing an Arab source who said the Trump administration has accepted Tehran's request to move the venue from Turkey to Muscat, while consultations are still ongoing on the possible participation of officials from the region. A source told Amjad that the only official who could be present is the prime minister of Qatar.
Even after the incidents in the Persian Gulf, the White House reiterates that "the meeting is confirmed and that the American president is committed to diplomacy."
At the same time, the American leader has warned that "all options remain on the table" if negotiations fail. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbass Araghchi has the mandate to deal only with the nuclear program for the time being, but in early January Trump threatened that he was ready to attack, as in those days, according to him, the regime had killed over 30,000 people who had taken to the streets to protest.
Corriere della Sera writes that on the eve of the meeting, the cancellation of observer invitations for Turkey and several Arab countries was requested. In this case, the negotiations between Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister sent by Tehran, would turn into a face-to-face meeting.
The US has deployed about 10 warships to the Middle East, the largest of which, the Abraham Lincoln, shot down an Iranian drone that approached it. The incident apparently did not affect the start of talks, while the media interpreted the Iranian drone's approach to the US warship as a provocation to see the level of readiness of the US military, which stands ready in the region for a possible attack.