Istanbul to host US-Iran talks, with Turkish, Pakistani, Arab diplomats in attendance — reports

Meetings between the US and Iran are likely to take place in Turkey on 6 February, an Arab official told AFP, after Tehran called for the restart of nuclear talks and Washington warned of consequences if a deal was not reached.

"A meeting between US negotiators and senior Iranian officials was likely to take place on Friday in Turkey," the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

"The potential meeting had been arranged following interventions by Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman," they added.

Meanhile a US official said on Monday that President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi plan to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible nuclear deal and other issues.

"The president's been calling for them to make a deal. The meeting is to hear what they have to say," the official said on Monday.

An Iranian foreign ministry official earlier said Tehran was weighing the terms for resuming talks with the United States soon, after both sides signaled readiness to revive diplomacy over a long-running nuclear dispute and dispel fears of a new regional war.

Friday's planned meeting was first reported by Axios news site, which reported that foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are also expected to attend the summit.

Axios citing a source called the meeting "the best case scenario" but cautioned that nothing is final until it happens.

Meanhile Trump continued to raise the specter of doom if negotiations with Iran do not pan out, saying on Monday that "probably bad things will happen" without a deal.

"We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones, the biggest and the best, and we have talks going on with Iran. We'll see how it all works out," Trump told reporters at the White House. "But right now, we're talking to them. We're talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that'd be great. And if we can't, probably bad things will happen.”

Tehran says ready for negotiations

Earlier in the day Iranian Foreign Minister said that Tehran is ready for diplomacy.

“Diplomacy also has its own principles. I hope we will see results soon," Araghchi said on Monday during a visit to the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of Iran’s 1979 Revolution.

"Iran’s enemies, who failed to achieve their goals," whether through last year’s 12-day war or recent protests, have now turned to diplomacy."

"These same parties are talking about diplomacy today, even though Iran has always been ready for this option, provided there is mutual respect and consideration of interests," he added.

Araghchi’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, and the ongoing American military buildup in the region, as announced by President Donald Trump.