Iran has asked the US to move diplomatic talks originally planned for Turkey to Oman and to limit the agenda to the Islamic republic’s nuclear program, people familiar with the matter said.
Tehran is resisting US pressure to include its ballistic missile program and support for allied militias in the Middle East in the negotiations, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.
They added that Iran also opposes the participation of regional countries, aside from Turkey, in the negotiations.
Photo: AFP / US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Karolina A. Martinez
Contrasting positions over the scope of talks could heighten tensions with Washington.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran if it does not agree to a deal, which his administration has signaled must include Tehran ending its support for regional proxies and curbs on its arms development, as well as a framework for atomic activities.
On Tuesday, a US jet shot down an Iranian drone after it “aggressively approached” the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the US military and government said.
US Central Command said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier, with “unclear intent” and it “continued to fly toward the ship despite deescalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters.”
The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was sailing about 800km from Iran’s southern coast, Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said.
The incident took place just before sunrise, he added.
In a separate incident later on Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed a merchant vessel flying the US flag and carrying US crew, Hawkins said.
Two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the ship, the tanker Stena Imperative, “at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins’ statement said.
The position of the incident appeared to be in Iranian territorial waters, the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iran had warned of a naval drill by the Revolutionary Guard in recent days.
The guided missile destroyer USS McFaul responded and escorted the Stena Imperative with defensive air support, authorities said.
Additional reporting by AP
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