U.S. officials say the U.S. refuses to change the meeting location; US-Iran negotiations are on the verge of collapse

On February 4th, local time, CCTV reporters learned that two U.S. officials revealed that the U.S. government officially informed Iran on the 4th that it refused Iran’s request to change the originally scheduled meeting location and format on the 6th. The two sides had previously agreed to hold talks in Istanbul with the participation of multiple international observers, but on the 3rd, Iran suddenly requested to move the negotiations to Oman and conduct them bilaterally, aiming to limit discussions strictly to nuclear issues and exclude topics of U.S. concern such as missiles. After assessment, the U.S. believed that this move could weaken multilateral coordination effectiveness and insisted on the original arrangement.

A senior U.S. official stated that the U.S. had made it clear to Iran that “either accept the original plan or cancel the talks,” and Iran chose the latter. The official also hinted that if diplomatic channels continue to be blocked, the U.S. will have to consider “other options.” The Iranian delegation at the United Nations has not yet commented on this matter.

In this context, U.S. Special Envoy Wittekov and Trump son-in-law Kushner will still proceed as planned to Qatar for consultations before the 5th, but will then return directly to the U.S. without meeting with Iranian representatives. The talks are on the verge of collapse, reflecting not only fundamental disagreements over the framework but also potentially leading to further escalation of regional tensions.

(Source: CCTV News)