WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration told Iran on Wednesday that it will not agree to Tehran's demands to change the location and format of talks planned for Friday, U.S. media outlet Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials.
The U.S. and Iran had previously agreed to meet on Friday in Istanbul, Türkiye, with some other Middle Eastern countries participating as observers.
Iran reportedly proposed on Tuesday moving the talks to Oman and holding them in a bilateral format focused only on nuclear issues.
The Trump administration decided on Wednesday to reject Iran's requirement, said the Axios report.
"We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'OK, then nothing,'" a senior U.S. official was quoted as saying.
The official said that Washington remains open to talks in the coming days if Iran returns to the original arrangement, warning that failure to reach a deal could lead the U.S. to consider other options, including military action.
U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to travel to Qatar on Thursday, but do not plan to meet Iranian officials, according to the report.
Tensions remain high between the United States and Iran, as diplomatic efforts continue alongside repeated military warnings from Trump.
The U.S. Central Command said a U.S. F-35C warplane shot down an Iranian drone on Tuesday after it approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea with "unclear intent," causing no injuries or damage. ■
