Iran seeks changes to US talks: What are they and why do they matter

Iran has requested changes to key aspects of upcoming talks with the United States, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise following a US military buildup in the Gulf and the shootdown of an Iranian drone that Washington said had been surveilling a US aircraft carrier off the coast of Oman.

The US has agreed to Iran's request to hold the negotiations in Oman rather than Istanbul, where talks had initially been planned between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

However, several other elements of the talks remain unresolved due to Iranian objections, as both sides continue to dispute the scope, format and participants of the negotiations.

Three issues at the heart of the dispute

Against the backdrop of heightened military activity in the Gulf, including the movement of aircraft, naval vessels and ballistic missile defence systems, Washington has been pressing Tehran to address three core issues: Iran's nuclear programme and uranium enrichment, its ballistic missile capabilities, and its support for regional armed groups.

Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is exclusively for peaceful, humanitarian, and civilian purposes, has long been the central point of tension with the US, with years of negotiations culminating in the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which eased sanctions in exchange for limits on enrichment.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump during his first term. Israel later cited alleged violations of enrichment limits as a justification for launching a 12-day war against Iran in June 2025.

Israel, is the only nuclear-armed state in the MENA, also pointed to Iran's ballistic missile programme as a key concern. During the June conflict, Iran launched medium-range missiles towards Israel in retaliation, striking targets across the country.

Iran possesses thousands of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, which it views as a cornerstone of its deterrence strategy against both the US and Israel. These missiles are capable of reaching US bases across the Gulf as well as Israeli territory.

Iran also maintains ties with armed groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq, and Hamas in Gaza. Tehran describes this network as a form of forward deterrence, aimed at keeping direct conflict away from Iranian territory.

Since Israel's war on Gaza began, these groups have engaged in hostilities against Israel and, in some cases, US forces. This has included fighting in Gaza and southern Lebanon, attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea by the Houthis, and attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria by Iraqi militias.

Regional role and Iranian objections

Earlier plans had envisaged the talks involving several regional states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Pakistan. Gulf states, alongside Turkey, have played an important role in facilitating diplomacy, seeking to prevent further escalation.

Iran’s insistence on moving the talks to Oman, where previous US-Iran negotiations have taken place, reflects a deeper divide over the structure of the discussions. Tehran has pushed for bilateral talks focused narrowly on the nuclear issue, rejecting Washington’s demand to address missiles and regional policy in the same forum.

Excluding regional states is also significant. Gulf countries hosting US military bases would likely be drawn into any regional conflict and have previously been warned by Iran that they could be targeted in the event of war.

In recent years, Iran has demonstrated its willingness to strike beyond its borders. In 2024, it launched missiles at targets in Pakistan following an attack by Baluchi separatists. In 2025, Iranian missiles struck the US-run Al Udeid airbase in Qatar after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during the June war.

The region has also experienced earlier attacks attributed to Iran or its allies, including the 2019 strike on Saudi oil facilities and Houthi attacks on the UAE in 2019 and 2022.

What happens next

The unresolved issues also centre on Israel, which has long sought to preserve its military and nuclear dominance in the region and has repeatedly pushed for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes as well as its regional alliances.

According to Axios, Israeli officials have been pressing Washington to consider military action, although Trump has not publicly committed to strikes.

Despite the disagreements, a Gulf official told Reuters on Wednesday that preparations for direct talks in Oman were moving forward, with the nuclear issue to be addressed first before other matters are discussed in stages.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the same day that Washington was open to talks but insisted Iran’s missile programme must be included. A senior Iranian official, however, told Reuters that Iran considers its missile programme non-negotiable.