What Was the Story Behind the Cancellation of Iran–U.S. Talks?
WANA (Feb 05) – In recent hours, a wave of reports has circulated in Western media claiming that the upcoming nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States have been canceled.
The primary source of these reports was the Axios website.
Axios, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Washington had opposed holding negotiations in Oman, a venue proposed by Iran.
While Axios did not explicitly state that the talks had been canceled, Israeli media outlets interpreted the leaked information as a U.S. decision to call off the negotiations.
Regardless of the accuracy of these reports, analysts view this type of media messaging as a psychological tactic by the United States aimed at extracting concessions from Iran ahead of the formal start of talks. Despite the absence of any official U.S. statement confirming the cancellation, Washington is believed to have adopted a strategy of “controlled leaks” to create psychological pressure and secure desired concessions from Iran before negotiations begin, without offering anything in return.
The reports continued until Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, officially announced the time and location of the talks in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In his post, Araghchi stated that nuclear negotiations with the United States would be held on Friday in Muscat at approximately 10:00 a.m.
Subsequently, Axios added to its earlier reporting and announced that the Iran–U.S. meeting in Muscat was back on track, attributing the development to pressure from nine Arab countries on the Trump administration not to cancel Friday’s talks.
The coming hours are expected to determine the fate of the anticipated indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. However, Iran has repeatedly stated that it is prepared to negotiate solely on the nuclear issue, and only to reassure the other side that its nuclear program is not being militarized. Tehran has emphasized that it will not discuss any other issues in the upcoming talks with the United States.
Other matters that the U.S. side has attempted to introduce through media leaks—particularly Iran’s missile capabilities and regional issues—are, according to Iran, not subjects for negotiation under any circumstances.
A burned US flag next to an Iranian flag is seen during a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
