U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to hold talks Friday in Istanbul on a potential nuclear agreement, Axios reported Monday, citing two sources familiar with the plans.
The report noted that preparations are underway for the meeting, while another cautioned that plans remain fluid and have not yet been finalized.
The planned talks are taking place after U.S. President Donald Trump's statement last week in a social media post that a massive "armada" was heading toward Iran, while urging Tehran to enter negotiations immediately. He later said that Iran was "seriously talking" with the U.S.
The U.S. president has threatened military action against Iran amid rising tensions following anti-government protests in Iran in late December.
Iranian officials have warned that any U.S. attack would draw a "swift and comprehensive" response.
Meanwhile, the report also stated that Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar have played a central role in facilitating contacts between Washington and Tehran over recent days. Ankara has repeatedly offered to mediate a solution to the escalating conflict and urged sized to pursue dialogue over clashes.
Araghchi traveled to Istanbul last Friday, where he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
While no official statement was released, Iran's Tasnim News Agency said that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to resume nuclear negotiations with the U.S., involving senior officials from both countries.
The agency, however, later said that following "further follow-ups," it had learned that the details of any such talks are "not yet finalized."
Tasnim said that subsequent stages and specifics would be determined once the overall framework of the negotiations takes shape.
While Tasnim revised the wording of its story, Fars News Agency removed its report about the resumption of the talks from its website and social media platforms.
At a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed that messages are being exchanged between the two sides. He also denied receiving "any kind of ultimatum or deadline" in negotiations with the U.S.
Iran's top security official Ali Larijani, in a social media post on Saturday, said the "structured framework" for negotiations is "taking shape and moving forward."
Notably, Iran and the U.S. were engaged in indirect nuclear negotiations in June of last year when Israel launched an attack on Iran, triggering 12 days of military confrontation and sharply escalating tensions.
Following the 12-day war, Iran suspended talks with the U.S., holding Washington responsible for Israel's actions.
