U.S. pushes for talks with Iran to include missile arsenal

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said meaningful talks with Iran must cover Tehran's ballistic missiles and other issues; Iranian officials say they will only discuss their nuclear programme.

U.S. officials say talks with Iran should cover missiles and other concerns alongside the nuclear issue, while Iranian officials say they will limit discussion to their nuclear programme. The meeting has been planned for Friday and mediators are working to finalise the format and location. Iran sought to move the meeting from Turkey to Oman. There is a disagreement over whether the agenda should be widened beyond the nuclear dispute. Key points: - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said meaningful talks must include Iran's ballistic missiles, its support for regional groups and its treatment of its own people, in addition to the nuclear dispute. - A senior Iranian official said the talks would only address Iran's nuclear programme and reported that the missile programme was "off the table." - The meeting was planned for Friday and the location is still being worked through, with Iran pushing for Oman as the venue. - Plans were expected to involve mediation by several countries, but Tehran signalled interest in limiting talks to bilateral talks with the United States. Summary: The main issue is whether negotiators will limit discussions to the nuclear programme or include Iran's missile capabilities and other regional matters. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, and final arrangements for location and format are being finalised. Undetermined at this time.