Overview
- Iranian outlet Tasnim reported a likely meeting between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in the coming days, which the U.S. has not confirmed, and Turkish sources say Ankara is trying to host such talks as early as this week.
- President Trump said discussions are underway through intermediaries and cautioned that failure could bring “bad things,” keeping military pressure in place with a carrier group deployed to the region.
- Qatar continues to broker messages as both sides avoid direct talks, with Iranian officials speaking of progress on the groundwork for negotiations.
- Araghtschi said Tehran would renounce nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief, but signaled resistance to curbs on missiles and regional allies, warning a war would be disastrous for many countries.
- Iran has placed its forces on full combat readiness and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a wider regional conflict, while reporting in FAZ says some U.S. officials have weighed strike options within weeks even as the Pentagon chief downplayed regime-change plans.