The United States has rejected Iran’s demand to change the location and format of high-stakes nuclear talks planned for Friday, resulting in the reported cancelation of the talks.

Two U.S. officials told Axios that Washington informed Tehran on Wednesday it would not agree to moving the talks from Istanbul or limiting their scope to nuclear issues alone.

The talks were originally scheduled to take place in Istanbul, with several Middle Eastern countries participating as observers. But Iranian officials said Tuesday they wanted to relocate the meeting to Oman and shift to a bilateral format. U.S. officials saw the demand as an attempt to sideline discussions on missiles, regional proxies and human rights.

After briefly weighing the proposal, the administration decided to reject it.

“We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘Ok, then nothing,’” a senior U.S. official said.

The standoff follows public remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that any meaningful talks with Iran must extend far beyond its nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Rubio acknowledged that plans for the Istanbul meeting had faltered after Iranian officials signaled they had not agreed to the format.

“We thought we had an established forum that had been agreed to in Turkey,” Rubio said. “I saw conflicting reports yesterday from the Iranian side saying that they had not agreed to that, so that’s still being worked through.”

Rubio said the administration remains willing to engage, but only under terms that reflect Washington’s broader security concerns.

“For talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things,” he said. “That includes the range of their ballistic missiles. That includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region. That includes the nuclear program. And that includes the treatment of their own people.”

Iran has indicated it is prepared to discuss its nuclear activities, but not on U.S. terms. Washington has demanded that Tehran halt domestic uranium enrichment and ship its existing stockpiles out of the country — conditions the Islamic Republic has repeatedly rejected.

U.S. officials say Tehran’s effort to narrow the agenda reflects resistance to what the administration sees as a comprehensive deal aimed at curbing Iran’s regional influence and military capabilities.

“If the Iranians are willing to go back to the original format, we’re ready to meet this week or next week,” the senior official said.

But the official added that patience inside the White House is wearing thin.

“We want to reach a real deal quickly or people will look at other options,” the official said, referring to Trump’s repeated warnings that military force remains on the table.

Rubio framed Iran’s reluctance to broaden the talks as tied to deeper economic and political problems inside the country.

“The fundamental problem Iran faces is that what people are on the streets complaining about, this regime cannot address, because it’s economic,” he said. “One of the reasons why the Iranian regime cannot provide the people of Iran the quality of life that they deserve is because they’re spending all their money and resources sponsoring terrorism.”

Despite his skepticism about Tehran’s intentions, Rubio emphasized that Trump remains committed to testing whether diplomacy can still produce results.

“President Donald Trump is willing to talk to and meet with and engage with anyone in the world,” Rubio said. “We don’t view meetings as a concession or a legitimization.”

“If the Iranians want to meet, we’re ready,” he added. “I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)