Iran and US to enter high-stakes talks amid fears of Middle East war
President Trump has been pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear programme
US and Iranian officials are due to meet in Oman today for talks aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries.
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The US is sending Steve Witkoff, its Middle East envoy for talks with Tehran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi at the Muscat summit.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take military action since the Iran after the regime launched a violent crackdown against protesters who took to the streets across the country last month.
Mr Trump also has been pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear programme.
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters on Thursday: "While these negotiations are taking place, I would remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options at his disposal, aside from diplomacy as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the history of the world."
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The announcement by Foreign Minister Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content.
"I'm grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements" Mr Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday evening.
Earlier on Wednesday, a regional official said Iran was seeking a "different" type of meeting than that what had been proposed by Turkey, one focused exclusively on the issue of Iran's nuclear programme, with participation limited to Iran and the United States.
Iran's reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said he had instructed the foreign minister to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" with the US, in the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate.
That signalled the move is supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state and previously dismissed any negotiations.
Mr Rubio said the US hoped to discuss a number of concerns beyond the nuclear issue, including discussions on Iran's ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region and the "treatment of their own people".
"The leadership of Iran at the clerical level does not reflect the people of Iran. I know of no other country where there's a bigger difference between the people who lead the country and the people who live there," he told reporters.
Vice president JD Vance told The Megyn Kelly Show that diplomatic talks with Iran are challenging because of Tehran's political system, overseen by Mr Khamenei.
"It's a very weird country to conduct diplomacy with when you can't even talk to the person who's in charge of the country. That makes all of this much more complicated, and it makes the whole situation much more absurd," Mr Vance said, noting that Mr Trump could speak directly by phone with the leaders of Russia, China or North Korea.
Mr Vance said Mr Trump's bottom line is that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, asserting that other states in the region would quickly do the same.
Iran long has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful. However, Iranian officials in recent years have increasingly threatened to pursue the bomb.
Mr Vance said he believed Mr Trump would work to "accomplish what he can through non-military means. And if he feels like the military is the only option, then he's ultimately going to choose that option".