ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran said Wednesday that preparations are underway for anticipated negotiations with the United States in “the next few days,” with consultations ongoing to determine the venue, Iranian state media reported.
“Planning has been made to hold the talks in the next few days, and consultations are underway to determine the location of the talks, which will be announced as soon as they are finalized,” Iranian foreign ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, as cited by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
He added that coordination efforts for the talks are being conducted based on a directive by President Masoud Pezeshkian, stressing that the process is moving forward, with further details to be announced once finalized.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Iranian president said that Tehran is prepared to pursue negotiations with Washington if an appropriate diplomatic environment is established, marking conditional openness to dialogue while emphasizing Iran’s national interests.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian noted that he instructed Iranian Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” provided that “a suitable environment exists - one free from threats and unreasonable expectations.”
Pezeshkian said the move follows “requests from friendly governments in the region” to help facilitate the key talks, after a proposal by the US President Donald Trump to restart negotiations.
Iranian foreign ministry Spokesperson, Baghaei, added Wednesday that Turkey, Oman, and several other regional countries have expressed readiness to host the talks, describing these offers as “very valuable” to Tehran.
“In principle, the place and time of holding the talks are not a complicated issue,” he said, stressing that logistical details “should not be a basis for media play.”
For her part, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday confirmed that the US is planning to hold talks with Iranian officials this week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
“I just spoke with Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff, and these talks as of right now are still scheduled,” Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing, adding that they are expected to take place “later this week.”
The meeting between Witkoff and Iranian officials is likely to be held in Turkey, AFP added, citing a source close to the matter.
In an interview with Fox News, Leavitt also said Tuesday that US President Trump “remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” while noting that he “always has a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force.”
Her remarks came amid heightened regional tensions, including a maritime incident on Tuesday in which Iran-linked armed vessels attempted to intercept a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and an incident in which a US warplane shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea.
RELATED: US says Iran talks on this week as CENTCOM downs drone, IRGC-linked boats threaten tanker
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment