Talks between Iran and the US have hit a brick wall, two sources familiar with conversations told the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
Negotiations have stalled as the US is seeking wide-ranging negations, while Tehran is only willing to discuss its nuclear program.
‘I was told they said take it or leave it –– and they basically, said, okay we are leaving it,’ the source familiar with the conversation told the Daily Mail.
A second source said that Tehran was unable to even agree on a location for Friday’s meeting slated to take place in Istanbul, Turkey.
It comes amid a massive US military build up in the Middle East as it was reported that a NATO airbase in Germany has been requisitioned for 24/7 flights as operational ‘tempo’ increases.
Trump saying today that Iran’s Supreme Leader ‘should be very worried.’
Negotiations were thrown into further turmoil on Tuesday as a US fighter jet was forced to shoot down an Iranian drown that was menacing the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier which is patrolling in the Arabian Sea around 500 miles from Iran.
Despite previously agreeing to a meeting in Turkey with other Middle Eastern nations watching from the sidelines, Tehran is now insisting on a strict one–on–one showdown with the US.
The change in course is seen as a clear attempt by Iranian experts to dodge scrutiny over their missile stockpiles, so they can force the agenda to focus solely on nuclear issues.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting of the heads of the three branches of government in Tehran on Sunday
Two sources familiar with conversations between Iranand the U.S. tell the Daily Mail that talks are falling apart between the two countries
Iranian demonstrators gather in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value, in Tehran on January 8
Senior Iranian officials tell Reuters that America’s resistance on discussing ‘non–nuclear’ issues could threaten talks planned in Oman, and that Tehran is ‘fully ready to hold talks with the US only on the nuclear issue.
The Daily Mail reached out to the White House on this story. They did not immediately respond.
Increased mission frequency to the Middle East has pushed Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base to a full-time, 24-hour operational cycle.
Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the United States following Trump’s renewed warning.
Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will ‘work something out’ with Tehran, but also warned that ‘bad things would happen’ if a deal was not agreed.
Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while promising a decisive response to any aggression.
‘I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists – one free from threats and unreasonable expectations – to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,’ President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.
The talks followed requests ‘from friendly governments’, he added.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that any talks should remain focused solely on the nuclear issue, rejecting the possibility of negotiations over its missile program or defense capabilities.
In an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had lost trust in Washington as a negotiating partner but a deal on the nuclear issue remained achievable.
Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran
Iranians attend an anti–government protest in Tehran
‘So I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,’ he said.
Nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington were abandoned last year after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, triggering a 12–day war.
The Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military facilities, as well as residential areas, killing military commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others. The US briefly joined the conflict, carrying out strikes on key nuclear sites.
Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel, as well as by targeting a US military base in Qatar, its largest in the Middle East.
Since his return to office in January last year, Trump has reinstated his ‘maximum pressure’ policy of sanctions against Iran, piling additional pain on a floundering economy.
Protests against the rising cost of living broke out in Tehran in December before evolving into wider nationwide anti–government demonstrations that triggered a deadly crackdown by the authorities.
Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, but insist that most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to ‘terrorist acts’.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US–based NGO, says it has confirmed 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with other rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher.
On Tuesday, the NGO said it had counted at least 50,235 arrests linked to the protests, with further detentions ongoing.
