Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had authorised the opening of negotiations with the United States, on the condition that the discussions take place without threats, after his American counterpart Donald Trump warned that “bad things” would occur if no agreement was reached.
While Tehran has not officially announced the venue for the proposed talks, an Arab official, who spoke anonymously, told AFP that discussions were likely to be held in Turkey on Friday.
The source said the possible meeting followed diplomatic efforts by Ankara, alongside mediation from Egypt, Oman and Qatar.
Trump has previously raised the possibility of military action and ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following last month’s anti-government protests in Iran, which were met with a deadly crackdown by authorities.
Although the US president has said he remains hopeful that Washington can “work something out” with Tehran, he has also reiterated that “bad things would happen” should both sides fail to reach an agreement.
Iran has maintained that it remains committed to diplomacy, while also vowing to respond decisively to any form of aggression.
“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
He noted that the move followed requests “from friendly governments”.
On Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry said diplomatic engagement with Iran was “continuing very intensively”, in “tandem with all our neighbours”.
Earlier, a senior official from the United Arab Emirates said Iran needed to reach an agreement and “rebuild their relationship with the United States”.
“I would like to see direct Iranian-American negotiations leading to understandings so that we don’t have these issues every other day,” said presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.
Iran has repeatedly emphasised that any negotiations must be limited strictly to its nuclear programme, firmly rejecting talks related to its missile systems or broader defence capabilities.
In an interview with CNN aired on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had lost confidence in Washington as a reliable negotiating partner, but stressed that a nuclear agreement was still possible.
“So I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,” he said.
Formal nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington collapsed last year after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, triggering a 12-day conflict.
The Israeli strikes targeted nuclear and military installations as well as residential areas, killing senior military commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of civilians. The United States briefly entered the conflict, carrying out strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran retaliated with drone and missile attacks on Israel and also targeted a US military base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Since returning to office in January last year, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions strategy against Iran, further straining an already fragile economy.
Public anger over the rising cost of living erupted into protests in Tehran in December before spreading nationwide into broader anti-government demonstrations, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged that more than 3,000 people died during the unrest, but insist most were security personnel and bystanders, blaming the violence on “terrorist acts”.
However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has verified 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters allegedly killed by security forces, while other rights groups argue the true figure may be significantly higher.
On Tuesday, the organisation said it had documented at least 50,235 arrests connected to the protests, with further detentions still being reported.
Local media also reported that 139 foreign nationals were detained in central parts of Iran during the unrest.
Iranian officials have accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the “riots”.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the protests as a “coup” attempt and warned that any US attack on Iran could spark a “regional war”.
What you should know
Iran’s confirmation of conditional talks with the United States marks a potential reopening of stalled nuclear diplomacy amid rising regional tensions.
While Tehran insists negotiations must focus solely on the nuclear issue, Washington continues to apply heavy economic and military pressure. The backdrop of domestic unrest in Iran, renewed sanctions, and lingering fallout from last year’s Israel-Iran conflict complicates the path to any agreement.
Whether diplomacy succeeds may depend on trust, reduced threats, and mediation by regional actors already involved behind the scenes.
