Iran orders nuclear talks with the US.

Following the Iranian government's strong reaction to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the White House threatened military action and ordered the deployment of a carrier strike group to the Middle East.Although Trump still expressed hope that Washington would "find a solution" with Iran, he also warned on February 2nd that "bad things will happen" if the diplomatic impasse continues..

According to Fars News Agency, President Pezeshkian has directed the opening of negotiations with the United States regarding Iran's nuclear program.An Arab official told AFP that the meeting is scheduled to take place in Türkiye on February 6, following mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and Oman..

According to two sources cited by the US news site Axios, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible agreement.Iran affirmed its desire for diplomacy but also vowed to respond forcefully to any act of aggression..

In an interview with CNN on February 1st, Foreign Minister Araghchi emphasized the consensus on the core issue: "President Trump says there are no nuclear weapons, and we completely agree. That could be a very good deal." However, he added that "in return, we expect the lifting of sanctions.".

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran is finalizing the methods and framework for negotiations in the coming days..

Türkiye is leading diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.Meanwhile, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi asserted that the kingdom would "not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran.".

Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have warned that any US attack would spark a "regional war.".

Domestically, Iran is facing significant pressure from protests that erupted in late December 2025 due to economic difficulties.The Iranian authorities have admitted that thousands of people have been killed.

Besides its confrontation with the US, relations between Iran and Europe are also rapidly deteriorating. The European Union (EU) has listed the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. In response, Iranian lawmakers on February 1st imposed a similar designation on the militaries of European countries..

The UK and the EU have also just announced new sanctions targeting Iranian officials involved in the crackdown on protesters.The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned all ambassadors of EU member states in Tehran to protest and warned of further retaliatory measures.