Plans for U.S.-Iran nuclear talks on Friday are back on, after several Middle Eastern leaders urgently lobbied the Trump administration on Wednesday afternoon not to follow through on threats to walk away, two U.S. officials told Axios.
The talks will be held in Oman, as Iran insisted, despite the U.S. initially rejecting changes to the original plan to meet in Istanbul.
Why it matters: The standoff had sparked fears across the Middle East that President Trump would pivot to military action. At least nine countries from the region reached out to the White House at the highest levels strongly urging the U.S. not to cancel the meeting.
“They asked us to keep the meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say. We have told the Arabs that we will do the meeting if they insist. But we are very skeptical,” one U.S. official said.
A second U.S. official said the Trump administration agreed to hold the meeting “to be respectful” to U.S. allies in the region and “in order to continue pursuing the diplomatic track.”
Catch up quick: The U.S. and Iran had agreed to meet on Friday in Istanbul, with other Middle Eastern countries participating as observers.