Two Iranian officials told The New York Times on Monday that, ahead of an expected meeting in Istanbul on Friday between senior US and Iranian officials, Iran is prepared to shut down or suspend its nuclear program in an effort to calm the crisis between the two countries.
According to the report, Iran would prefer a proposal made by the United States last year to establish a regional consortium for nuclear power production.
The officials also said that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Larijani carried a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, indicating that Iran could agree to ship its enriched uranium to Russia, similar to the arrangement under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Monday that “the topic has long been on the agenda," adding that “Russia continues its efforts and contacts with all interested parties."
Friday’s talks are expected to bring together Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Senior officials from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt are also expected to attend, according to the Times.
Araghchi and Witkoff have been communicating directly through text messages, according to the Iranian officials and an American one. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If the meeting takes place, it will mark a rare direct encounter between American and Iranian officials at a time of heightened tensions. Military threats by Trump and Iran’s refusal to accept his demands have pushed the two countries to the brink of war, raising fears across the region.
In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if its leaders, who last month crushed mass protests with lethal force, did not comply with his demands. Those demands include ending Iran’s nuclear program, accepting restrictions on its ballistic missiles and halting support for proxy militias across the Arab world. Iran’s leaders have said they will not negotiate under threat and have vowed a harsh response to any American attack.
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday and commented on the US talks with Iran.
“We have big ships heading to Iran right now. The biggest and the best. We have talks going on with Iran, we will see how it all works out," he said.
“I can’t tell you what I’m going to do, because right now we have a tremendous force going there, just like we did in Venezuela - even bigger. And they'll be there soon," continued Trump.
“I'd like to see a deal negotiated. I don't know that that's going to happen. But if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. I'd be very foolish if I were to tell you. But right now we're talking to them. We're talking to Iran. And if we could work something out, that'd be great. And if we can't, probably bad things will happen."
The Times reported that diplomats from Turkey, Egypt, Oman and Iraq have been relaying messages between the sides in an effort to prevent an escalation. Two Iranian officials said Qatar’s prime minister recently visited Iran as part of the diplomatic push.