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 in the Gulf countries, and hoping to hold the talks in a bilateral format.

Image source: CCTV News

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

Trump says he is negotiating with Iran

According to CCTV News, on February 3 local time, U.S. President Trump signed a government funding bill at the White House and stated 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 said, “There have been more than one meeting with Iran.”

Trump mentioned that parties involved previously had opportunities to reach an agreement but failed, and he hopes not to see a repeat of last year’s “midnight strike” military operation against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bagheri on the same day said that a negotiation plan has been formulated 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

Intense statements from Iran and the U.S.

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 Zamiir stated on the 2nd that the Israeli military is in a “period of continuously increasing combat readiness.”

Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei’s political advisor, said on the 2nd that Iran “has no intention of transferring enriched uranium abroad,” and reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. He stated that if external concerns persist, 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, but the ship did not have one. After receiving warnings from Iran, it immediately left Iranian waters. Iranian officials also 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)