US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States is currently negotiating with Iran, adding he could not say at this time where the negotiations will take place.
“They are negotiating. They'd like to do something, and we'll see if something is going to be done," Trump said.
“They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn't work out. And we did Midnight Hammer. I don't think they want that happening again," he continued, referring to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. “But they would like to negotiate. We are negotiating with them right now, yes."
Asked where the meeting will be, Trump replied, “I can't tell you that."
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were set to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible nuclear agreement, but Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that consultations on the venue are underway.
His comments came as Iran has reportedly requested that the talks be held in Oman as opposed to Istanbul.
Trump has called for Iran to reach a deal with the US on its nuclear program, while leaving the military option on the table.
Ahead of the meeting, two Iranian officials told The New York Times that 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.