Iran Changes Terms for US Talks: Meeting Moved to Oman on Thursday, No Third Parties

US-Iran talks are accelerating and shifting location to Oman. Originally scheduled for Friday in Istanbul, the meeting is now set for Thursday, February 5, 2026, in the Sultanate of Oman. The central agenda item will be Tehran’s nuclear program. According to Israeli-American Axios and CNN reporter Barak Ravid—citing an Arab source—the Trump administration accepted Iran’s request to relocate the talks and is still deliberating whether Arab and Muslim states will participate. The White House declined to comment. Reports from Reuters earlier indicated that Iran insisted on limiting discussions strictly to its nuclear program and ruled out regional third-party involvement, contrary to initial plans for Istanbul which included Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Under the revised plan, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman, focusing exclusively on Iran’s nuclear program.