U.S. deploys F-35 to shoot down approaching drone
High-level meeting between the two countries is scheduled for tomorrow in Oman.
Location changed from Turkiye at Iran’s request
White House: “Meetings will be held as scheduled”
While Steve Witkoff, the U.S. White House special envoy for the Middle East, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are scheduled to hold a high-level meeting in Oman on the 6th, the military standoff and battle of wits between the two sides continues. The US military announced on the 3rd that it shot down an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) that aggressively approached the ‘Abraham Lincoln’ aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, about 800 km south of Iran. Separately, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened American oil tankers in the nearby Strait of Hormuz.
The United States believes that Iran’s actions are part of a tactic to maximize its negotiating power before the summit. Iran also requested that the meeting venue be changed to Muscat, the capital of Oman, rather than Istanbul, which was originally scheduled. Unlike Turkiye, which has been competing for hegemony in the Middle East, Oman’s influence in the region is not large and it is interpreted as a measure taking into account the fact that Oman has a deep friendly relationship with the country. As the two sides continue to fight each other ahead of the meeting, concerns are being raised that small clashes could lead to large-scale military clashes.
● Iran shows off its military power to the United States… The meeting location also changed.
The U.S. Central Command announced on the 3rd that it shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that aggressively approached the USS Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. He added that there was no damage to U.S. troops. Separately, it was also claimed that two ships belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and one ‘Mohazer’ drone approached the private oil tanker ‘Stena Imperative’ at high speed and threatened to seize it.
However, the United States emphasized that despite this situation, the meeting will proceed as scheduled. U.S. President Donald Trump revealed on the 3rd, “We are negotiating with Iran (at this very moment). We have had more than one meeting.” White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt also said on the same day, “I just spoke with Special Envoy Witkoff. As of now, talks with Iran are proceeding as planned.”
However, Spokesperson Levitt explained that military options are not being ruled out, saying, “President Trump, as the supreme commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, has several options regarding Iran on the table.” In fact, the Washington Post (WP) analyzed satellite images and reported that the U.S. military gathered about 70 military aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets, and 12 warships, including an aircraft carrier, in Middle Eastern waters. This is interpreted as an intention to increase military pressure on Iran if the negotiations on the 6th do not end as desired. WP reported that additional deployment of aircraft and warships is likely to occur in the next few days.
In response to the United States, Iran suddenly changed the location and method of the meeting on the 6th. According to political media Axios, Iran not only changed the meeting location to Muscat, but also requested and carried out a bilateral meeting with the United States. Initially, major Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Turku, were scheduled to attend the meeting, but they refused. ● Netanyahu complains, “I can’t trust Iran”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is hostile to Iran, has repeatedly complained about the talks between the United States and Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Special Envoy Witkov, who visited Israel on the 3rd, and asked the United States not to trust Iran, saying, “Iran has shown on many occasions that the promises it made cannot be trusted.”
Israel is known to have presented four prerequisites to the United States for concluding negotiations, including transfer of highly enriched nuclear materials held by Iran to other countries, complete cessation of uranium enrichment, cessation of ballistic missile production, and cessation of support for armed groups in the Middle East such as Hamas and Hezbollah. These are all issues that Iran strongly opposes, so it does not seem easy to reach a resolution.
A senior Israeli official told local media outlet N12 that “an agreement that does not include these conditions is a bad agreement,” and emphasized, “Israel will exert influence in the negotiation process between the United States and Iran.”
Meanwhile, on the 3rd, the British daily Guardian reported that mourners clapped and danced to loud music at the funeral of citizens who died in the anti-government protests in Iran that began on December 28 last year. It was diagnosed that they were showing their opposition to the oppressive theocratic system by rejecting the practice of solemn funerals presided over by a Shia Muslim cleric.
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