Istanbul Talks Bring US, Iran, and Six Gulf Allies as War Looms
Key Takeaways
- High-level U.S.-Iran talks planned in Istanbul on Friday to prevent conflict.
- Regional allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan and UAE invited at foreign-minister level.
- U.S. special envoy Steve Wittkoff and Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi expected to meet.
Diplomatic Push
The United States and Iran prepared to meet in Istanbul for direct talks as Trump weighed a military strike.
“Trump confirms that talks are underway with Iran amid "a flotilla of large ships heading toward it," and a meeting between Steve Wittkoff and Abbas Araghchi is expected in the coming days in Turkey”
The meeting included six regional powers at the foreign-minister level.
Trump warned of bad things that could happen if Iran failed to reach an agreement.
Regional Cohesion
The priority of the Istanbul meeting was to prevent conflict.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry said there is regional collaboration.
The UAE president's adviser said the region has gone through various calamitous confrontations.
Iran's Conditional Openness
Pezeshkian instructed the foreign minister to prepare the ground for talks.
“What is new this week is not simply another round of nuclear diplomacy, but the intensity of the regional effort behind it”
Public rhetoric on both sides remained extreme.
Iran's leadership insisted it will not negotiate under threats.
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