Donald Trump to meet Ayatollah Khamenei? US, Iran to talk amid rising Middle East tensions

New Delhi: Amidst rising tensions between Iran and the United States, a major development has emerged. In this tense atmosphere, the two countries will hold face-to-face talks for the first time. According to a Reuters report, a regional diplomat said that nuclear talks between the US and Iran are expected to take place in Oman on Friday.

What does Donald Trump want?

This comes as US President Donald Trump is expanding his military presence in the Middle East, raising the specter of a potential conflict. Trump has warned that "bad things" could happen if no agreement is reached, increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran. This standoff has led to mutual threats of airstrikes and raised fears of an escalation into a wider war.

What did Iran say?

On the other hand, Iran has clearly stated that it will not make any concessions on its robust ballistic missile program and has called it a "red line" for negotiations. According to Axios, citing an Arab source, the Trump administration agreed to move the talks from Turkey to Oman at Iran's request. Discussions are still ongoing regarding whether Arab and Muslim countries in the region will participate in these talks in Oman.

Where will the talks take place?

The US military shot down an Iranian drone that was "aggressively" approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday. ​​Meanwhile, Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that "we are talking to them right now." However, he did not elaborate or specify where the talks were expected to take place.

According to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were expected to participate in the talks. Ministers from regional countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates were also expected to attend, but according to regional sources, Tehran now only wants bilateral talks with the US. The U.S. naval deployment comes after a violent crackdown in Iran last month against anti-government protests, the deadliest domestic unrest in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Trump threatened intervention but later demanded nuclear concessions from Iran and sent a naval fleet to its coast. Regional officials had previously indicated that avoiding conflict and de-escalating tensions were the top priorities of diplomatic efforts. According to six current and former Iranian officials, the Iranian leadership is deeply concerned that a U.S. attack would bring an already angry public into the streets, potentially weakening its grip on power.

What is the US military doing?

Amidst heightened tensions, the U.S. military reported on Tuesday that a U.S. F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone flying with "unclear intentions" toward the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. Iran's Tasnim news agency said contact was lost with a drone in international waters, but did not specify the cause. U.S. Central Command also reported another incident on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, in which Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) harassed a U.S.-flagged tanker. Central Command spokesman, Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, said two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the M/V Stena Imperative at high speed and threatened to board and seize the tanker. The maritime risk management group Vanguard said the Iranian boats ordered the tanker to stop its engines and prepare for boarding. In response, the tanker increased speed and continued its voyage.

It's worth noting that in June 2025, the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities at the end of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Since then, Tehran has said that its uranium enrichment program (which it maintains is for peaceful purposes) has ceased. Iranian sources told Reuters last week that Trump had set three conditions for resuming talks: a complete halt to uranium enrichment in Iran, limits on its ballistic missile program, and an end to support for regional proxy groups.

Iran has long maintained that all three demands constitute an unacceptable violation of its sovereignty, but two Iranian officials told Reuters that its religious leaders view the ballistic missile program, rather than uranium enrichment, as the bigger obstacle.