Meanwhile, Iranian media said on Monday that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with the US after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful for a deal to avert military action against the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
Following the Iranian authorities\u2019 deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump threatened<\/a> military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.<\/p>\n While piling pressure on Iran, Trump has maintained that he is hopeful of making a deal. Tehran has also insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition \t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPresident Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States,\u201d the news agency Fars reported, citing an unnamed government source.<\/p>\n \t \u201cIran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,\u201d Fars said, without specifying a date.<\/p>\n The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.<\/p>\n The talks would likely be led by Trump\u2019s senior envoy Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.<\/p>\n According to Axios, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar are working to organize<\/a> a meeting this week between Witkoff and Iranian officials in Ankara, Turkey\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n Without giving details on the content of any prospective negotiation, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, \u201cCountries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral points have been addressed and we are examining and finalizing the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days,\u201d he added. \u201cThis concerns the method and framework.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said he believes his country can reach an agreement with the US.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Russia is still trying to de-escalate tensions around Iran, noting that it had long ago offered its services to process or store Iran\u2019s enriched uranium.<\/p>\n Asked if Russia was discussing with Iran and the US the possibility of taking Iranian enriched uranium, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: \u201cThis topic has been on the agenda for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRussia has been offering its services for quite a long time as a possible option that would lead to the removal of certain irritants for a number of countries,\u201d Peskov said.<\/p>\n \t \u201cRight now, Russia is continuing its efforts, continuing its contacts with all interested parties, and maintains its readiness to de-escalate tensions around Iran to the best of its ability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Israel targeted Iran\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missile programs during last year\u2019s war, and has debilitated several of the terror groups funded by Tehran that seek Israel\u2019s destruction. Trump has also warned Iran not to expand its ballistic missile stockpile.<\/p>\n Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran\u2019s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.<\/p>\n Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.<\/p>\n Iran retaliated to Israel\u2019s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.\u00a0The attacks killed 32 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIn this handout picture provided by Iranian presidency, Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses cabinet members, as they visit of the tomb of the late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran on January 31, 2026 (Handout\/Iranian Presidency\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25244597152658-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
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