2026-02-02 17:28
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2026-02-02 17:28
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in Istanbul on Friday for talks on a potential nuclear agreement, Axios reported on Monday. It would be the first meeting of representatives of the two countries since the US attack on Iran in 2025.
According to the portal, citing sources privy to the matter, the planned meeting is to be the result of efforts by Turkey, Egypt and Qatar to avoid a US strike on Iran and a possible war in the region.
However, one of the portal's sources warned that the prospect of a meeting was the “best-case scenario” and it had not been finally confirmed. Information about the meeting was also reported by Reuters, citing an Iranian official.
If the plans are confirmed, these will be the first direct talks between both representatives since the June US strike on Iranian nuclear installations and the Israel-Iran war. Before the attack, Witkoff and Aragchi met several times in Oman, but negotiations yielded no results.
Aragchi on Monday said Iran was ready for diplomacy, but warned that “diplomacy is incompatible with pressure, intimidation and force.” Last week, US President Donald Trump repeatedly spoke about ongoing talks with Iran, warning, however, that the failure of the talks would mean an attack on Iran “much worse” than the one in June.
Axios claims that the differences between Washington and Tehran may be irreconcilable, because while the Trump administration demands that a possible agreement cover not only Iran's nuclear program, but also its ballistic missile program and Iran-controlled militias in the Middle East, Tehran only agrees to nuclear talks.
On Monday, Witkoff will go to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The meeting is to be held at Netanyahu's request.
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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