Iran plans nuclear talks with US as Trump warns of ‘bad things’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media said, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic Republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran but also warned on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached. Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression. “President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States” on Iran’s nuclear programme, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government source. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh. A meeting is likely to take place in Turkey on Friday, following interventions by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Oman, an Arab official told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. US news site Axios cited two unnamed sources as saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear issue. Trump had warned “time is running out” for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied. In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said: “President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal,” adding that, “in return, we expect sanctions lifting.” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that Tehran was working on a method and framework for negotiations that would be ready in the coming days, with messages between the two sides relayed through regional players. Turkey has led a diplomatic push to defuse tensions, with Araghchi visiting Istanbul last week and speaking with other regional counterparts, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan’s top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, assured Araghchi on Monday that the kingdom would “not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran”. Iranian authorities, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have warned any US attack would trigger a “regional war”. The protests were sparked in late December by economic strain and exploded in size and intensity over several days in early January. Authorities have said the protests were “riots” inflamed by its arch-foes the United States and Israel, with Khamenei likening them to a “coup” attempt. Tehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday the presidency published the names of 2,986 people out of the 3,117 whom authorities said were killed in the unrest. Authorities insist most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts”. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based NGO, said it has confirmed 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with other rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher. The crackdown prompted the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, with Iranian lawmakers retaliating on Sunday by slapping the same designation on European armies. The EU also issued fresh sanctions on Iranian officials, including the interior minister, a move echoed on Monday by Britain, which announced sanctions on 10 individuals over the “brutality against protesters”. Baqaei said on Monday the foreign ministry had summoned all the EU member state ambassadors in Tehran over the designation, and that other responses were to come. The focus on alleged foreign involvement continued on Tuesday, with local media reporting that 139 foreign nationals had been arrested in central parts of the country during the protests. Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted the police chief in the city of Yazd as saying those arrested were involved “in organising, inciting and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in contact with networks outside the country”. The nationalities of those held were not specified.

Iran plans nuclear talks with US as Trump warns of ‘bad things’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Facing threats of potential US military action, Tehran agrees to a Friday meeting in Istanbul on its nuclear programme

Facing threats of potential US military action, Tehran agrees to a Friday meeting in Istanbul on its nuclear programme