Published February 02,2026

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US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to hold talks in Istanbul on Friday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts over Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report by Axios on Monday.

Citing sources familiar with the discussions, the report noted that preparations are underway for the meeting, while another cautioned that plans remain fluid and have not yet been finalized.

The planned talks are taking place after US President Donald Trump’s statement last week in a social media post that a massive “armada” was heading toward Iran, while urging Tehran to enter negotiations immediately. He later said that Iran was “seriously talking” with the US.

The US president has threatened military action against Iran amid rising tensions following anti-government protests in Iran in late December.

Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response.

Meanwhile, the report also stated that Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar have played a central role in facilitating contacts between Washington and Tehran over recent days.

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi traveled to Istanbul last Friday, where he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

While no official statement was released, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to resume nuclear negotiations with the US, involving senior officials from both countries.

Published January 29,2026

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Türkiye’s world No. 4 Ahmet Kaplan has reached the semifinals of the quad wheelchair category at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.

Kaplan faced Brazil’s Leandro Pena in the quarterfinals in Melbourne on Thursday and secured a straight-sets victory, 7-6, 6-2, after an intense 90-minute match.

With this win, Kaplan will meet Dutch second seed Sam Schroder in the semifinals.

Published January 29,2026

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Türkiye’s unemployment rate decreased to a historic low of 7.7% in December, the country’s statistical authority said Thursday.

This was the lowest rate on record, which began in Jan. 2005.

The rate was down from November’s 8.5%, according to data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

The number of unemployed people aged 15 and over was down by 286,000 to 2.73 million in December.

Joblessness stood at 6.3% among men and 10.5% among women in the same period.

Meanwhile, employment also declined, with 42,000 fewer people working, bringing the total number of employed to 32.68 million.

The overall employment rate was down to 49.1%, including 66.8% for men and 32.7% for women.

The labor force also decreased by 328,000 to 35.42 million, with the participation rate at 53.2%.

Youth unemployment—covering those aged 15 to 24—fell 1.1 percentage points from November to 14.1% in December. It was 12% for men and 18.2% for women.

In 2025 as a whole, Türkiye’s unemployment rate stood at around 8.3% on average.

Published January 29,2026

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday received US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, who is also the special envoy for Syria.

The meeting took place in Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.

The Ministry also shared a photo of the meeting on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, but provided no further details.