US rejects Iran's demands to change location, format for talks: Axios

WASHINGTON

The US told Iran on Wednesday that it will not agree to Tehran's demands to change the location or format of talks planned for Friday, Axios reported.

"We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'Ok, then nothing'," the website quoted an unnamed senior US official as saying.

The report came after Iranian media said the indirect talks between Iran and the US are set to take place on Friday in Oman’s capital Muscat, with discussions expected to focus on Tehran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.

Istanbul, Türkiye has been the planned site of the nuclear talks between the US and Iran.

Per Axios, the official said that if the Iranians are willing to go back to the original format, the US is ready to meet this week or next week.

"We want to reach a real deal quickly or people will look at other options," the senior official said.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the venue for talks with Iran is “still being worked through,” and that discussions must address Tehran’s ballistic missiles, nuclear program, regional “sponsorship of terrorist organizations,” and the treatment of its people.

“We thought we had an established forum that had been agreed to in Türkiye,” he said. “It was put together by a number of partners who wanted to attend and be a part of it. I saw conflicting reports yesterday from the Iranian side saying that they had not agreed to that, so that’s still being worked through.”

Oman has previously served as a mediator in indirect contacts between the two sides.

In recent days, several countries have stepped in and offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions, with Türkiye playing a particularly active role.

The US and its ally Israel accuse Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons, while Tehran says its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, including electricity generation.