Monday’s cautious optimism about renewed US–Iran diplomacy took several blows on Tuesday, as Tehran reportedly signaled fresh conditions for talks and Iranian and American forces clashed at sea.
US officials said American forces shot down an Iranian drone after it approached a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, and later intervened when armed Iranian boats harassed a US-flagged merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The incidents underscored the fragility of a diplomatic process that Washington and Tehran had suggested was back on track only a day earlier.
Iran’s foreign ministry sought to downplay growing uncertainty around talks expected later this week, saying discussions over the venue and timing were ongoing and should not be “turned into a media issue.”
Esmail Baghaei, the ministry’s spokesman, said Turkey, Oman and other regional countries had offered to host the talks, and thanked “friendly countries” for helping create conditions for diplomacy.
“In principle, the venue and timing of talks are not complicated issues and should not be used as a pretext for media games,” Baghaei said, adding that details would be announced once finalized.
Behind the scenes, however, Iranian officials appeared to be revisiting earlier understandings. Reuters and Axios reported that Tehran was seeking to move the talks from Istanbul to Oman and to limit discussions strictly to the nuclear file, excluding missiles and support for regional armed groups—issues that Washington and regional allies have said must be addressed.
Axios cited informed sources saying Iran was “walking back” agreements reached in recent days after other countries had already been invited to participate.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian officials had also threatened to pull out of talks altogether, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the warning.
At sea, the confrontations continued. US Central Command said Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces harassed a US-flagged, US-crewed merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, while a US fighter jet downed an Iranian drone that had approached a carrier strike group.
Iranian state-linked media said the drone was conducting a “routine and lawful mission” in international waters and that data had been transmitted successfully before contact was lost.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff were still scheduled, but stressed that military options remained on the table. “For diplomacy to work, of course, it takes two to tango,” she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a harsher note, saying Iran “has repeatedly proven it cannot be trusted to keep its promises.”
