Iranian FM says nuke talks with US to be held in Muscat on Friday

HotTV

Iranian FM says nuke talks with US to be held in Muscat on Friday

2026-02-05 11:57 Last Updated At：02-06 13:10

Iran's nuclear talks with the United States will be held in Oman's Muscat on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday.

He said on social media platform X that the talks will take place at around 10:00 local time (0600 GMT), thanking the Omani side for "making all necessary arrangements".

Shortly after, several Western media outlets reported that Washington has agreed to hold the talks on Friday in Oman, after being lobbied by at least nine Mideast countries.

The announcement came after U.S. media outlets reported earlier in the day that the talks could be canceled over the two sides' disagreement on location and format.

The two sides had previously agreed to meet on Friday in Istanbul, Türkiye, with some other Mideast countries participating as observers.

On Tuesday, Iran reportedly proposed moving the talks to Oman and holding them in a bilateral format focused only on nuclear issues.

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. media outlet Axios, citing two U.S. officials, reported that Washington had decided to reject Iran's requirement.

"We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'OK, then nothing,'" Axios quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.

The official said Washington remains open to talks in the coming days if Iran returns to the original arrangement, warning that failure to reach a deal could lead Washington to consider other options, including military action.

U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to travel to Qatar on Thursday, but do not plan to meet Iranian officials, Axios added.

Despite the imminent talks, tensions between Tehran and Washington have shown no sign of easing.

On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced that a U.S. F-35C warplane "was forced" to shoot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone in the Arabian Sea "in an act of self-defense", whereas Iran's Fars news agency said the drone completed a "surveillance mission" in international waters.

On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps unveiled a new underground missile base, saying it has changed its military doctrine "from defensive to offensive" following the 12-day war with Israel last year, and is "ready for any action from the enemies".

Meanwhile, Trump warned Wednesday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should be "very worried", as Washington is building up its military forces in the Middle East.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.