Following weeks of high tension, and against the backdrop of reinforced US military deployments in the region, the United States and Iran are expected to hold a round of talks aimed at reaching an agreement that would prevent a military confrontation. The meeting is tentatively planned for Friday in Istanbul, according to a report by Barak Ravid in Axios, citing two sources familiar with the matter. On Monday, Steve Witkoff, who is set to lead the American delegation to Istanbul, is expected to arrive in Israel and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, are expected to take part in the meeting in Istanbul, Reuters reported, citing a senior regional diplomat.
The anticipated meeting comes amid weeks of threats from the White House and a diplomatic effort by regional countries, led by Turkey, to prevent a military clash. Over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Istanbul. A third source who spoke with Axios said that a Friday meeting represents the "optimistic scenario," while cautioning that nothing is final until it actually takes place.
In parallel, Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday and meet with Netanyahu, a meeting that Axios said was scheduled at the prime minister's request. Witkoff is also expected to meet Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who visited the US over the past weekend and met with senior Pentagon officials.
Earlier, Iranian media reported progress toward talks. The Iranian Tasnim news agency said that "an informed source confirmed the possibility of the start of negotiations between Iran and the United States with the participation of senior officials from both sides in the coming days," adding that "the final time and place have not yet been determined." The report said the talks would focus on the "nuclear file."
Indeed, Iran's insistence on excluding its missile program and its support for terrorist organizations from the negotiations appears to be the main stumbling block to an agreement. An Iranian source told Reuters that Iran is prepared to show flexibility on uranium issues, but as a condition for launching talks it is demanding that the United States withdraw its forces from the region.
On the nuclear issue itself, Iran is also expected to continue insisting on recognition of its right to enrich uranium on its own soil. While an Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran would be willing to accept "zero enrichment under a consortium arrangement," meaning joint enrichment with regional countries, and even transfer more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in its possession, Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, denied this.
"Iran has no intention whatsoever of transferring enriched nuclear material to any country, and the negotiations are not centered on such an issue at all," he said.
The recent sedition was orchestrated by Zionists & the US. I was informed through a certain channel that the CIA & Mossad deployed all of their resources into the field! Nevertheless, they were defeated. The sedition's plan was developed abroad, and it was managed from abroad.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 2, 2026
At the same time, the social media account of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued to publish statements in line with his rhetoric since the outbreak of protests against the ayatollahs' regime and its deadly crackdown. In a series of posts published on Monday, he described the protests as a "rebellion" and an "attempted coup," claiming they were "orchestrated by the Zionists and the US" and that "the CIA and the Mossad mobilized all their resources."
Khamenei cited what he described as the spirit of President Donald Trump's remarks to the protesters, "Keep going, help is on the way," as proof of American involvement, and praised the security forces for suppressing the protests. "This rebellion was not the first and will not be the last," he wrote.
