Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that he had instructed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to pursue talks proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“In light of requests from friendly governments in the region to respond to the proposal by the president of the United States for negotiations, 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, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence and expediency,” Pezeshkian wrote on X, adding that the negotiations “shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests.”
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei holds ultimate authority over such decisions.
Tehran and Washington have so far held five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations, most recently in Rome on May 23, 2025.
Axios reported on Monday that White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Araghchi are expected to meet Friday in Istanbul with representatives from several Arab and Muslim countries to discuss a possible nuclear agreement, according to two sources familiar with the matter and a U.S. official.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are also expected to take part, the official said.
Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Reuters reported on Monday, citing two senior Israeli officials.
Zamir said on Monday the army is intensifying preparations for potential conflict with Iran and its proxies as it restores full combat readiness after years of limited training.
“We are in a period of improving readiness for war,” Zamir said at a conference of senior IDF commanders, according to an army statement.
Zamir said the military is drawing lessons from the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and “preparing for a sequence of offensive operations across all theaters,” including scenarios of a large-scale raid or surprise war. He added that the IDF’s next multi-year plan will focus on strengthening divisional command, mobility and effectiveness to achieve “decisive victory in a multi-front war.”
