Iran wants US talks moved to Oman, limited to nuclear file

Firat Kozok and Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg News on Feb 4, 2026

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Iran has asked the U.S. to move diplomatic talks originally planned for Turkey to Oman and to limit the agenda to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, according to people familiar with the matter.

Tehran is resisting U.S. pressure to include its ballistic-missile program and support for allied militias in the Middle East in the negotiations, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. They added that Iran also opposes the participation of regional countries, aside from Turkey, in the negotiations.

Contrasting positions over the scope of talks could heighten tensions with Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran if it doesn’t agree to a deal, which his administration has signaled must include Iran ending its support for regional proxies and curbs on its arms development as well as a framework for atomic activities.

On Tuesday, a U.S. jet shot down an Iranian drone after it “aggressively approached” the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the American military and government said. The skirmish sent oil prices higher. In early trading on Wednesday, Brent rose 0.2% to around $67.50 a barrel. It’s up 11% this year, in large part because of the prospect of a war in the petroleum-rich region.

The White House and the State Department had no immediate comment to Bloomberg on the talks being moved to Oman. Trump on Tuesday reiterated that the U.S. and Iran are maintaining diplomatic contact.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been expected to meet in Turkey, the people said. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman are also involved in the diplomatic push to avert a war.

Araghchi said last week that Iran’s missiles will “never” be subject to negotiations, and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has explicitly tasked him with negotiating “within the framework of the nuclear deal.”

The talks would mark the first public meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials since mass protests in Iran last month, in which thousands of people were killed in a crackdown by authorities.

The two sides held a series of discussions in Oman on Tehran’s nuclear program last year. They ended without conclusion when Israel began airstrikes on the Islamic Republic in June.

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—With assistance from Carla Canivete.