White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was keeping military options open against Iran. AFP
"I just spoke with special envoy (Steve) Witkoff, and these talks as of right now are still scheduled," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, adding that they were due to happen "later this week."
"President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango," Leavitt said outside the West Wing.
The meeting between Witkoff, a businessman whom Trump has appointed as his roving global conflict negotiator, and Iranian officials will "probably" take place in Turkey, a source close to the issue told AFP.
The US military claimed earlier that an F-35C stealth fighter jet shot down the Iranian drone that drew near to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier on Tuesday.
Trump's spokeswoman added that the US president was keeping open the possibility of military action against Iran, with a large number of US warships now in the region.
"Of course, the president has always had a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force," Leavitt told Fox News in a separate interview.
She added that "the Iranians know that better than anyone," referring to the US army joining Israel in the war againt Iran last year.
Iran has allegedly demanded that planned talks on Friday be moved to Oman from Istanbul and be held in a bilateral format, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
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