By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL – The new venue for U.S.-Iran talks will be Muscat, Oman rather than Istanbul, Turkiye, according to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi announced the venue change on Wednesday, February 3 after misgivings about how the talks were incurring changes in format and content. Iranian Assistant Professor in Indian Economy and Politics at the University of Tehran, Tohid Asadi weighed in on the venue change. As Asadi said: “I think from the Iranian perspective, the key point of concern is not necessarily the venue of the talks, but the very quality and nature of the talks,” adding there is still a “cloud of mistrust” between Iran and the U.S. that exists. He said because of the Israeli threat that looms over Iran, Asadi said: “The Iranians are getting prepared for a wide spectrum of scenarios,” adding “regional players are also crucial here.” He said that Iranian officials said they continue cooperation with regional players and other nations.
One of those key regional players is Turkiye and as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said diplomacy is the key to reducing tensions between Iran and the U.S. The Turkish president reiterated his warning against any military intervention that would put the entire region in jeopardy. Erdogan who spoke to journalists aboard his plane on Wednesday, Febuary 4 said he held direct talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, conveying opposition to military action against Iran. The Turkish leader told reporters he also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul in a trilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Washington, on Wednesday, February 4, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “I think in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things. And that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes the nuclear program and that includes the treatment of their own people.” Rubio indicated that White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, February 3 to discuss the upcoming talks. Iran has warned Israel and the U.S. about any possible attacks it plans on Iran – currently, the U.S. Fifth Fleet is stationed in the Persian Gulf. While analysts admit the possibility of an attack on Iran still looms – Rubio said: “We prefer to meet and talk, I’m not sure you reach a deal with these guys but we’re going to try and find out.” As Erdogan concluded: “We see that the parties want to open space for diplomacy. This is a positive development.” He added that Turkiye will continue its work to strengthen diplomatic channels to prevent any new conflicts in the region.
