Iran seeks to reshape nuclear talks amid Gulf provocations
Iran has upended upcoming multilateral nuclear negotiations while launching military provocations in the Persian Gulf. Analysts describe the moves as a coordinated bid to redefine dynamics ahead of direct talks with the United States.
On February 3, Tehran demanded shifting Friday's meeting from Istanbul to Oman and narrowing it to strictly bilateral nuclear discussions, per Axios and Bloomberg sources. This marks a sharp reversal from recent agreements, after regional powers had already received Istanbul invitations.
Hours before the diplomatic shift surfaced, Iranian forces staged two provocations against US assets. A Shahed-139 drone approached the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier aggressively while transiting the Arabian Sea, about 500 miles off Iran's south coast, according to US Central Command. An F-35C fighter from the carrier downed it after it ignored US de-escalation measures in international waters, CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins stated.
Later that day, two IRGC boats and a Mohajer drone sped toward the US-flagged tanker M/V Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to board and seize it. The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul intervened, escorting the tanker with US Air Force defensive air support.
Talks were originally framed as broader regional diplomacy. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Qatar and others had been invited for mixed bilateral and multilateral sessions in Istanbul covering not just Iran's nuclear program but also missiles and regional proxy support.
"Iran now wants an entirely different meeting from start to finish," a regional source told Al-Monitor. Tehran insists on nuclear issues only, and solely with Washington, excluding regional participants, Bloomberg reports.
The Trump administration agreed to Iran's venue shift from Turkey, with negotiations ongoing over Arab states joining Oman talks, Axios journalist Barak Ravid said, citing an Arab source.
These actions coincide with President Donald Trump bolstering US military presence, including the Abraham Lincoln carrier group and extra fighter jets. Trump warned "serious things" could happen without a deal.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were set to meet Friday on a potential nuclear framework. Washington demands Iran halt uranium enrichment, cap its missile program and end regional proxy backing, conditions Tehran calls red lines.
CENTCOM warned that "Iran's continued harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated," adding that "Iran's needless aggression near US forces, regional partners and commercial vessels raises risks of miscalculation, collision and regional destabilization."
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