Negotiations between the United States and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program have resumed after reaching a near-collapse point. Several Arab and Islamic leaders urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to cancel the talks.

Axios reported that after initially refusing to change the planned meeting location from Istanbul, the talks were moved to Oman at Iran's request.

Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, posted on X on Wednesday, "Nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat around 10 AM Friday. We thank our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements."

The U.S. and Iran had agreed to hold talks in Istanbul on Friday, with other Middle Eastern countries slated to participate as observers. However, Iran announced Tuesday that it wanted to move the meeting to Oman and conduct it in a strict bilateral format to focus solely on nuclear issues.

U.S. officials initially appeared open to a change in location, then rejected the request, only to reverse their stance again after Axios reported the talks had been canceled.

A senior U.S. official told Axios in an interview on Wednesday, "We told them 'it's nothing or nothing,' and they responded 'then it's nothing.' We need to reach a substantive agreement quickly, or we will have no choice but to explore other options."

The U.S. has deployed a significant military presence to the region, including an aircraft carrier strike group, which includes the USS Abraham Lincoln.

This standoff has raised concerns across the Middle East that President Donald Trump could pivot to military action. At least nine countries in the region have strongly urged the U.S. to cancel the talks at the highest levels.

A U.S. official told Axios, "They requested that we continue the talks and listen to the Iranian side's position." He added, "We told the Arab nations that we would proceed with the talks if they insisted, but we are very skeptical."

Another U.S. official told Axios that the Trump administration agreed to hold the talks out of "respect" for its regional allies and "to continue to pursue a diplomatic solution."

U.S. NNP=Sung Ku Hong Chief Editor / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com