DOHA, February 3. /TASS/. Talks between Iran and the United States are most likely to be held in Muscat, not in Istanbul, as was originally planned, an Iranian diplomatic source told the Al Jazeera television channel.

"It is likely that Muscat, rather than Turkey, will be the venue for the upcoming talks with Washington," he said, adding that Iran is "grateful to the countries of the region for their efforts to find a solution to the differences between Tehran and Washington and to ease tensions."

Trump said on January 26 that a "massive armada" was heading toward Iran. He expressed hope that Tehran would return to the negotiating table and conclude a "fair and equitable" deal, implying a complete renunciation of nuclear weapons. In response, Tehran warned that any attack on Iran will entail threats to the United States and its allies’ entire military infrastructure in the Middle East. According to the Axios portal, which cited its sources, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on February 6. Later, Axios said that Trump intends to opt for Muscat as a venue for the talks.