Iran has tentatively agreed to restart nuclear talks with the United States to avert the threat of further military attack. These are the first negotiations since the Trump administration bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities last summer.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to meet with U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Istanbul on Friday, three sources told CNN on Monday. Iran’s president later acknowledged that negotiations were proceeding, albeit with conditions.
“I have instructed the Foreign Minister to pursue fair and impartial negotiations based on the principles of dignity, prudence and expediency, as long as appropriate circumstances exist, free from threats and undue expectations,” he wrote in X on Tuesday.
Pezeshkian said he gave the green light to negotiations after “requests from friendly governments in the region.”
“These negotiations will take place within the framework of national interests,” Pezeshkian said.
While Mr. Pezeshikian is president, ultimate power in Iran rests with the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. He struck a defiant tone in Tehran on Sunday, warning that a U.S. attack on Iran would lead to a regional war.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, with US President Donald Trump sending a US “fleet” to the region and renewing his threat to strike again if Iran does not agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal. President Trump also warned in early January of possible military action in response to protests across Iran that prompted a deadly crackdown by security forces.
Officials told CNN last week that Trump was considering options including airstrikes targeting Iranian leaders, nuclear facilities and government institutions. A US carrier strike group is currently in the region and could support potential operations against the country.
Iran appears to have thousands of missiles and drones within range of U.S. forces based in many countries in the Middle East, and has threatened to attack U.S. forces as well as Israel.
Diplomatic activity has increased in recent days as regional leaders and players scramble to find a way out to avoid conflict. Qatar, Türkiye, and Egypt are leading these efforts, with Turkey offering to host direct talks between the United States and Iran.
Foreign ministers from Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also scheduled to attend the Istanbul talks, three sources told CNN. Pakistan has received an invitation for talks, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
Anwar Gargash, a foreign affairs adviser to the UAE president, said on Tuesday that the region does not need an Iran-US war and that the Middle East has already “experienced various tragic conflicts.” He also said Iran “needs to reach a deal.”
President Trump expressed some optimism about the negotiations, telling reporters on Sunday that Iran is “in serious talks with us.”
Arraguchi also told CNN on Sunday that he was “confident that we can reach an agreement.”
But other Iranian leaders are taking a harder line. Ali Bagheri, head of foreign policy at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on Monday that the country has “no intention” of negotiating over its enriched uranium stockpile, according to Iranian state media Press TV.
Weeks before the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed “serious concerns” that Iran had enriched uranium to 60%, noting that it was the only “non-nuclear-weapon state” to do so.
Ali Shamkhani, a key adviser to Khamenei, told Lebanese media on Monday that the US “has to offer something in return” if Iran lowers its enrichment levels, Press TV reported.
Since the U.S. attack, Iran has been attempting to rebuild its nuclear facilities deeper underground, according to a person familiar with recent U.S. intelligence on the matter. The regime also bans inspections of nuclear facilities by the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Iran and the United States held several rounds of indirect nuclear talks in April and May 2025, but further talks were halted due to Israel’s surprise attack on Iran in mid-June, followed by the United States’ attack on Iran a few days later, effectively ending the process.
Iran had previously ruled out direct dialogue with the United States.
