U.S. and Iranian officials expected to meet in Istanbul amid Trump threats

Senior U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday, according to three current regional officials and a former one, in talks aimed at de-escalating tensions. The planned participants include Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy; Jared Kushner, Mr.

Trump’s son-in-law; and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, with senior officials from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt also expected to attend. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The meeting comes as President Trump has threatened military action against Iran, saying he would bomb the country if its leaders did not yield to demands that include ending its nuclear program, accepting limits on its ballistic missiles and halting support for proxy militias, the report said.

Iran’s leaders have said they would not negotiate while under threat and have vowed a harsh response to any American attack. Relations have been strained since Mr. Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement, and have worsened over the last year. The article says the United States and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June, and U.S.

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