Arya News - The US has told its citizens to leave Iran immediately amid talks over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The US has told its citizens to leave Iran immediately amid talks over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Steve Witkoff , Donald Trump’s special envoy for peace, met Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, early on Friday at the Muscat summit in Oman – the first face-to-face talks between the two countries since the 12-day war last summer.
There has been a build-up in American military presence near Iran over the past few weeks, in what Mr Trump has referred to as an “armada” .
The US president has repeatedly threatened to take armed action against Iran unless it signs a new nuclear deal.
Ahead of the talks on Friday, the US virtual embassy in Iran issued a security alert warning its citizens to “leave Iran now”.
Mr Araghchi, meanwhile, said Iran was ready to defend itself against “excessive demands or adventurism” by the US.
China, a key Iranian ally, said it supported Tehran defending its interests and opposed “unilateral bullying” by Washington.
Karoline Leavitt, Mr Trump’s press secretary, said the US delegation would explore “zero nuclear capacity” for Iran, adding the US president had “many options at his disposal... as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world”.
Washington’s primary demand is that Iran halt its nuclear programme and discard its stockpile of enriched uranium, but talks will also focus on Tehran’s ballistic missiles and support for regional armed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has threatened to hit back against potential US strikes but said it had a “responsibility not to miss an opportunity to use diplomacy” ahead of the talks.
There had been disagreement in the run-up to the summit over whether regional countries would be included.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister shakes hands with Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, at the talks in Muscat on Friday - Omani Foreign Ministry/AFP
Citing unnamed Iranian officials, the New York Times said the US had agreed the talks would exclude regional actors, and while the meeting would focus on the nuclear issue, it would also discuss missiles and militant groups “with the goal of coming up with a framework for a deal”.
The meeting comes less than a month after the peak of nationwide protests against Islamic leaders in Iran. Human rights groups said the wave of demonstrations were repressed with a violent crackdown that left thousands dead.
“They’re negotiating,” Mr Trump said in brief comments on Thursday. “They don’t want us to hit him, we have a big fleet going there,” he added, referring to the aircraft carrier group he has described as an “armada”.
Mr Trump first threatened military action against Iran over its crackdown on protesters and even promised demonstrators that help was “on its way”.
But his rhetoric in recent days has focused on limiting Iran’s nuclear programme, which Washington has long feared is aimed at making a bomb.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, told SiriusXM that Mr Trump would “keep his options open”.
“He is going to talk to everybody, he is going to try to accomplish what he can through non-military means and if he feels like the military is the only option then he is ultimately going to choose that,” Mr Vance said.
Iran claims its uranium enrichment programme stopped after the US and Israel launched an attack on the country in June last year.
It’s understood Tehran’s facilities were heavily damaged in the strikes and set back its nuclear programme by several years.
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.