US' Rubio says venue for talks with Iran 'still being worked through'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the venue for talks with Iran is "still being worked through," and discussions must address Tehran's ballistic missiles, nuclear program, regional "sponsorship of terrorist organizations," and treatment of its people.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington ahead of a critical minerals meeting, Rubio said the US had initially believed an agreed-upon forum had been established in Türkiye.

"We thought we had an established forum that had been agreed to in Türkiye. It was put together by a number of partners who wanted to attend and be a part of it. I saw conflicting reports yesterday from the Iranian side saying that they had not agreed to that, so that's still being worked through," he said.

Rubio emphasized that any talks with Iran would not amount to "legitimization."

"In order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes a nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people," he said.

Nuclear talks between the US and Iran, originally planned to be held in Türkiye, are now expected to take place in Oman, according to several media reports.

Rubio confirmed that the talks were scheduled for Friday, adding that US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is "ready to go."

"If the Iranians want to meet, we're ready. They've expressed an interest in meeting and talking. If they change their mind, we're fine with that too," he said.

"We prefer to meet and talk. I'm not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we're going to try to find out," he added.

Ahead of the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Omani counterpart, Badr Al-Busaidi, on the phone to discuss relations and regional developments, the country's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Iranian media reported that the indirect talks with the US are expected focus on Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.

Oman has previously served as a mediator in indirect contacts between the two sides.

In recent days, several countries have stepped in and offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions, with Türkiye playing a particularly active role.

The US and its ally Israel accuse Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons, while Tehran said its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, including electricity generation.