The priority of talks between Iran and the United States this week in Istanbul is to avoid any conflict and de-escalate tensions between the two sides, a regional official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding a group of regional powers were also invited.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some of the countries invited to the talks at the foreign ministers' level included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
The person said the format of the meetings remained unclear, but that the "main meeting" would be on Friday and that it was important to start dialog between the parties to avoid further escalation.
According to media reports on Monday, Top US and Iranian officials are due to meet to hold talks on a possible nuclear deal, while Iran's military chief threatened that "no American would be safe" if the US conducted strikes on Iran.
Witkoff and Araghchi are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday
The Trump administration's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday to discuss a possible nuclear deal, two sources with knowledge of the plans told Axios's Barak Ravid on Monday.
A third source stated that a meeting on Friday was the "best case scenario," while cautioning that nothing is final until it happens.
This was later corroborated by an anonymous US official, cited by Reuters as saying that Trump has been "calling for them [Iran] to make a deal. The meeting is to hear what they have to say."