A man holds a photograph of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli rally in support of the Iranian government, outside the U.S. consulate, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Tehran is weighing how far it is prepared to scale back its nuclear program in pursuit of a possible agreement ahead of expected talks with the United States, several reports said on Feb. 3, with a critical meeting anticipated to take place in Istanbul on Feb. 6.
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul later this week, several sources informed the media.
The potential meeting was arranged following diplomatic interventions by Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar and Oman.
An official also noted that several regional countries have also been invited to participate in the discussions. Invited countries reportedly include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have signaled that Tehran is prepared to shut down or temporarily suspend parts of its nuclear program to help ease regional tensions, the New York Times reported.
However, they would prefer a framework proposed by Washington last year that envisions the establishment of a regional consortium to produce nuclear energy.
Iranian officials said such an arrangement would allow Tehran to retain access to civilian nuclear power while addressing international concerns over proliferation.
Iran has also revisited options previously discussed under the 2015 nuclear deal. According to two officials, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, recently met Russian President Vladimir Putin and conveyed a message from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicating that Tehran could once again agree to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia.
Israeli media earlier also reported that transferring enriched uranium to Türkiye is among the options under consideration.
In an interview, Ali Shamkhani, a senior security adviser to Khamenei, said there is no justification for removing enriched uranium from Iranian territory.
“There is no need for complex processes. If there are concerns, the enrichment level can be reduced from 60 percent to 20 percent — but this must come at a price,” Shamkhani said.
He added that the exact amount of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains unclear, noting that part of it is buried under rubble after the 12-day war with Israel and the U.S. in June 2025.
The developments came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Feb. 3 that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, after his counterpart Donald Trump threatened "bad things" if no deal is reached.
The U.S. leader has talked of military action and sent an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following anti-government protests in Iran last month that were met with a deadly crackdown.
Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will "work something out" with Tehran but also warned that "bad things would happen" if no deal is reached.
Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.
"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," Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.
The talks will be held "within the framework of our national interests," he said, adding that it followed requests "from friendly governments.”
