US, Iran to hold nuclear talks in Oman amid heightened tensions

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) that preparations to hold talks with the US in the coming days have been completed. Hours after the US military said Iran shot down the drone It approached its aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. US President Donald Trump said in Washington that his administration was “negotiating” with Tehran.

“Plan [for the talks] Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said on Wednesday that the details of the location will be announced after it has already been carried out, according to the state-owned Press TV. Iran’s President Masoud Pezheshkian said on Tuesday that he had instructed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to hold “fair and equitable” talks with the US.

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Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday (February 3): “[The talks] All are over. But they are negotiating. They want to do something, and we will see if something is done.

“A while ago they had an opportunity to do something, and it didn’t work out, and we did (Operation Midnight Hammer),” he said, referring to US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 during the 12-day Iran-Israel war. “I don’t think they want that to happen again, but they want to negotiate,” he said.

White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Wittkoff, would hold talks with Iranian officials later this week.

Mr Trump, who has sent attack jets, warships and a carrier strike group to West Asia, has repeatedly threatened to use military force against Iran, first to crush protests on January 8-9 and then again in June 2025, when he claims it has “eradicated” its nuclear program. But on Wednesday, Mr Baghey refused to confirm the location. Turkey, Oman and several other regional countries have announced their readiness to host the talks, he said. “In principle, the time and place of talks are not complicated issues and should not be used as a pretext for media manipulation.”

While the US, with threats and troop mobilization, signaled readiness for diplomacy, Iran reciprocated with diplomatic engagement warning that any attack could trigger a regional war. Iran also conducted live-fire military drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that opens to the Arabian Sea. The US Central Command issued a warning to Tehran on January 31, saying “any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases the risks of conflict, escalation and instability”.

On February 3, the Central Command said an Iranian Shahed-139 drone “unnecessarily maneuvered” towards the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was sailing about 800 km off Iran’s southern coast. An F-35C fighter from Lincoln shot down the drone, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command. “No American service members were harmed during the incident and no US equipment was damaged,” he said.

In a separate incident, two Iranian boats, accompanied by a Mohajer surveillance drone, attempted to seize a US-flagged tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. A US guided-missile destroyer escorted the M/V Stena to safety “with defensive air support from the US Air Force,” Captain Hawkins said.

Iran’s distance The news agency carried a report on Tuesday (February 3), saying the drones’ primary mission is to “monitor all military movements in the Islamic Republic’s adjacent areas.” The Shahed-129 drone is carrying out its regular and legal mission of reconnaissance, surveillance and imaging in international waters. This is considered standard and legal procedure,” said a report in another semi-official news agency Tasnim. “The drone has successfully transmitted its surveillance and reconnaissance footage to the command center,” the report said.