A regional official said on Tuesday that the main priority of this week’s talks between Iran and the United States in Istanbul is to prevent any conflict and reduce tensions between the two sides. The official added that a group of regional powers had also been invited to participate.
اضافة اعلان
Countries invited to the foreign minister-level talks include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and the UAE, the official said.
The official noted that the framework for the talks is not yet fully defined, but the “main meeting” is scheduled for Friday. He emphasized the importance of starting dialogue between the two sides to avoid further escalation.
Iranian President Masoud Beheshtian on Tuesday stressed the need to continue negotiations with the United States to safeguard national interests, provided that “unreasonable threats and expectations” are avoided.
Beheshtian said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Considering the requests of friendly regional countries to respond to the U.S. president’s proposal for negotiations, I have directed the foreign minister to prepare conditions for fair and just talks… provided the environment is free of threats and unreasonable expectations.”
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that talks are ongoing with Iran amid rising tensions, adding, “We want to see an agreement through negotiation with Iran.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, he added: “We have ships heading to Iran now, large ships… and we are negotiating with Iran. We will see how things go,” warning that “bad things” could happen if Iran fails to reach an agreement.
Axios, citing two informed sources, reported that U.S. President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Whitkov, is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a potential nuclear deal.
Reuters reported that some regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Egypt, are expected to participate in the meeting.
