Arya News - Tensions were heightened after Trump threatened military action against Iran in response to its crackdown on protesters.
( NewsNation ) — The United States and Iran are set for talks on Friday in Oman over Tehran’s nuclear program , as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.
The announcement Wednesday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, sent a blunt warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of the talks.
“I would say he should be very worried,” Trump said of Khamenei in an interview with NBC News.
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Trump has increased pressure on Iran, suggesting possible military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators or if Tehran launches mass executions over the protests. Trump has also pushed Iran’s nuclear program back into focus after the June war disrupted five rounds of talks held in Rome and Muscat, Oman, last year.
Oman has mediated past talks between the two nations. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but has been enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
Turkey had been working behind the scenes to host talks in Istanbul with regional countries taking part and discussions focused on issues like Iran’s ballistic missile program and other concerns.
Voices from Iran
Meanwhile, NewsNation has been working with people on the ground in Iran ahead of these conversations to understand what they want from the negotiations and whether they support a deal between the U.S. and Iran at all.
One Iranian, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, warned that any agreement would not benefit ordinary people.
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“If an agreement is made, it will absolutely not have a positive result for the people, whether economically or socially,” the source said. “This agreement makes the Iranian regime more brutal and causes it to want to unleash its lost global authority upon the people’s heads and become even more savage.”
Talks expected even after US shot down Iranian drone
On Tuesday, a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier. Iranian fast boats from its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also tried to stop a U.S.-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Navy said.
Iran did not formally acknowledge either incident, which strained but apparently did not derail hopes for talks with the U.S.
On Wednesday, Iranian military chiefs visited a missile base in an attempt to highlight its military readiness after the 12-day war devastated Iran’s air defenses. The base holds the Khorramshahr missile, which has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and was launched toward Israel during the war last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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