Iran said looking to move its talks with US, keep other countries out

Iran wants to change the location and format of Friday’s talks with the US, Axios reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

According to the report, the Iranians are trying to move the talks to Oman. They are currently slated to take place in Istanbul.

Tehran also wants to limit participation in the discussions, turning them into bilateral talks with the US. Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are meant to participate, but Iran wants them to be observers, per the report.

According to a report on Channel 12, Iran wants to keep the other countries out of the talks in order to limit the negotiations to Iran’s nuclear program, as opposed to a broader discussion of Iran’s conduct in the region, including its missile production and its support for proxy terror groups.

The report comes amid a US military buildup in the region and threats from US President Donald Trump of a strike on Iran following its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters. Iran has threatened to strike Israel and US targets in response.

Today, the US military shot down an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, a US official told Reuters.