Iran conditionally agrees to nuclear talks with US

By Jessie Yeung, Jennifer Hansler, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Todd Symons, CNN

(CNN) — Iran has tentatively agreed to resume nuclear talks with the United States as it tries to avert the threat of further military strikes, in what would be the first such negotiations since the Trump administration bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites last summer.

The discussions are expected to be held in Oman, a source familiar with the matter told CNN Tuesday night. The White House said earlier Tuesday that talks between would proceed this week despite changes requested by Tehran to the venue and format.

Sources had told CNN on Monday that Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, was likely to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, in Istanbul on Friday.

However, the plans hit a snag after Tehran requested the talks be relocated to a different city, that regional participants be excluded and that the scope of the discussions be limited to just the country’s nuclear program, CNN reported earlier. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that Trump is keeping open the option of military strikes if diplomacy fails.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier Tuesday that Tehran is pursuing negotiations –– though with conditions.

“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency,” Pezeshkian wrote Tuesday on X.

He said he has given the go-ahead for the negotiations following “requests from friendly governments in the region.”

“These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests,” said Pezeshkian.

Although Pezeshkian is president, ultimate power in Iran rests with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader. Khamenei struck a defiant tone in Tehran on Sunday, warning that any US strike on Iran would result in a regional war.

Tensions have soared in the last few weeks, with Trump sending a US “armada” to the region and renewing threats to strike Iran again if it does not agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal. Earlier in January, Trump had also warned of possible military action in response to nationwide protests in Iran, which triggered deadly crackdowns by security forces.

People familiar with the matter told CNN last week that Trump was considering options, including airstrikes targeting Iran’s leaders, nuclear sites and government institutions. A US carrier strike group is now in the region, where it could support any potential operations against the country.

Iran is believed to have thousands of missiles and drones within range of US troops based in a number of countries in the Middle East, and it has threatened to strike them, as well as Israel.

All eyes on Istanbul

The past few days have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity as regional leaders and players rushed to find an off-ramp to avoid conflict. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have led these efforts, with Turkey offering to host in-person talks between the US and Iran.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also expected to attend the Istanbul talks, the three sources told CNN. Pakistan has received an invitation to the talks, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed to CNN.

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said Tuesday that the region does not need an Iran-US war and that the Middle East has already gone “through various, various calamitous confrontations.” He also said that Iran “needs to reach a deal.”

Trump has expressed some optimism about negotiations, telling reporters on Sunday that Iran was “talking to us, seriously talking to us.”

Araghchi also told CNN on Sunday that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal.”

But other Iranian leaders have taken a firmer tone. Ali Bagheri, the foreign policy head at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said Monday that the country has “no intention” of negotiating over its enriched-uranium stockpiles, according to Iranian state media outlet Press TV.

Just weeks before the US struck Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) raised “serious concern” that Iran was enriching uranium to 60%, noting that it was the only “non-nuclear weapon state” to be doing so.

On Monday, Ali Shamkhani, a key adviser to Khamenei, told Lebanese media that the US “must offer something in return” if Iran were to reduce the level of enrichment, Press TV reported.

Iran has been trying to rebuild its nuclear sites even deeper underground since the US strikes, according to a person familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue. The regime has also barred the United Nations nuclear watchdog from inspecting its nuclear sites.

Iran and the US held several rounds of indirect nuclear talks in April and May 2025 before a surprise mid-June Israeli strike on Iran led to the cancellation of further talks. That was followed days later by the US strike on Iran, which effectively ended the process.

Iran had previously ruled out direct talks with the US.

This story has been updated with additional information

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