Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media says, after US leader Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a deal to avert military action against the Islamic Republic.
Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.
While piling pressure on Iran, Trump has maintained he is hopeful of making a deal, and Tehran has also insisted it wants diplomacy while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.
“President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States,” the news agency Fars reports, citing an unnamed government source.
“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” Fars says, without specifying a date.
The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 2, 2026
