Iran’s top diplomat has said the government is ready for negotiations with the US as the two countries reportedly prepared to send top envoys to Istanbul for high-stakes talks on the Iranian nuclear programme later this week. As US warships have amassed in the region for a potential strike on Iran, the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, suggested that talks could take place imminently, adding that Iran’s “enemies . The meeting would be the first between the US and Iranian officials since last April, before Israel and later the US struck Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile sites during a 12-day war in June. Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel is ready “for every scenario” and warned that anyone who attacks the country will face “unbearable consequences”. Iran’s government has taken the unusual step of overseeing the publication of the names of the deceased from the protests.

Source: The Irish Times February 02, 2026 22:46 UTC