US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a press conference on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is willing to meet and speak to anyone.
"We don't view meetings as a concession. We don't view meetings as even legitimization … At the end of the day, the United States is prepared to engage and has always been prepared to engage with Iran," he stated.
Rubio stressed that any meaningful talks with Iran "will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles ... their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region ... the nuclear program ... the treatment of their own people."
“If the Iranians want to meet, we're ready … I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out … This is a President that always prefers a peaceful outcome to any conflict or any challenge," the Secretary of State stressed.
The US government said on Wednesday that it had agreed to the request of Arab countries to hold talks with Iran on Friday in Oman, just hours after announcing their cancellation.
That announcement followed reports that the US conveyed a message to Iran that it would not agree to their demands to change the location and format of the talks, which were originally planned to take place in Istanbul.
"We told them: 'It's either this or nothing.' They said, 'Okay, then nothing,'" said a senior American official, adding, "We want to achieve a real deal quickly, or people will look for other options."