Overview
- President Masoud Pezeshkian said he approved negotiations only in a suitable environment free of threats and within Iran’s national interests.
- Diplomats say a Friday meeting in Istanbul is being arranged with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, with reports that Jared Kushner and foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the UAE were invited.
- Turkey is organizing the talks to de-escalate tensions, though several details remain unconfirmed pending formal announcements.
- The United States has deployed a carrier strike group to the region as President Trump warns that “bad things” would happen if no agreement is reached.
- Iran insists discussions focus solely on the nuclear file and rejects limits on missiles or defense, Khamenei warns a U.S. attack would trigger a regional war, and the U.S. military said a Navy jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching a U.S. carrier on Tuesday.