U.S.-Iran Talks Imminent: Location Still Uncertain, Tensions Escalate! Trump: Iran Willing to Take Action! Iran and U.S. Intensify Statements

According to CCTV News on February 4, a knowledgeable source revealed on February 3 that Iran has requested to change the location and format of the negotiations with the United States on the 6th, moving the negotiation venue from Istanbul, Turkey, to Oman, a Gulf country, and hoping to hold the talks in a bilateral format.

Image source: CCTV News

Two informed sources said that multiple countries have been invited to participate in the negotiations, but Iran now prefers that only Iran and the United States participate, rather than having several Arab and Islamic countries as observers.

Trump says he is negotiating with Iran

According to CCTV News, on February 3 local time, U.S. President Trump stated at the White House while signing the government funding bill that negotiations with Iran are still ongoing this week, and Iran is willing to take action.

Trump said that negotiations with Iran are “in progress,” and hopes to reach some kind of result. He stated that he cannot disclose where the talks with Iran will take place, and that “there have been more than one meeting with Iran.”

Trump mentioned that relevant parties previously had the opportunity to reach an agreement but failed, and he hopes to avoid a repeat of the military action “Operation Midnight Hammer” against Iran last year.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bagheri on the same day said that a negotiation plan has been made and is expected to take place in the coming days. Currently, consultations are underway to determine the negotiation location, and once confirmed, it will be announced immediately.

Image source: CCTV News

Intensive statements from Iran and the US

According to CCTV News, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on February 3 stated that he has instructed Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian to conduct “fair and just negotiations” with the United States based on prudence and pragmatism. He emphasized that negotiations should be conducted within a framework that aligns with Iran’s national interests.

On February 3, local time, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that Netanyahu told the U.S. side during a meeting that “Iran has repeatedly proven itself untrustworthy and unable to honor any commitments.” According to Israeli sources on February 2, Israel has put forward three conditions for reaching an agreement with Iran, including: Iran not developing nuclear programs, not developing ballistic missile programs, and not supporting so-called “proxies in the Middle East.” Meanwhile, Israel has further elevated its military readiness. IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi on the 2nd said that the Israeli military is in a “period of continuously enhancing combat readiness.”

Iran’s political advisor to Khamenei, Ali Shamhani, on the 2nd said that Iran “has no intention of transferring enriched uranium abroad,” and reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. He stated that if the outside world is worried, Iran could reduce the uranium enrichment level from 60% to 20%, but Iran must receive a return. Several Iranian officials recently stated that negotiations should focus solely on the nuclear program and not discuss “impossible topics” such as missile projects.

Iran: A ship illegally entered Iranian waters and left after warnings

According to CCTV News, Iranian officials on February 3 local time said that a ship illegally entered Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz that afternoon. Iranian patrols confirmed that the ship did not have relevant navigation permits and issued warnings, after which the ship immediately left.

Iranian officials said that the Iranian patrols requested the ship to provide a navigation permit, which the ship did not have. After receiving the warning, the ship immediately left Iranian waters. Iranian officials stated that the claim by a certain UK maritime security company about a “security incident” in the Strait of Hormuz is false.

(Source: Daily Economic News)