Iran pushed to move upcoming U.S. nuclear negotiations from Istanbul to Oman in order to keep talks strictly focused on the nuclear file, according to Reuters. Tehran views Oman as a familiar and tightly controlled diplomatic channel, resisting any expansion of discussions to missiles or regional security issues. The U.S. agreed to the venue change ahead of the high-stakes February 6 meeting. This comes as tensions surge across the Gulf, with reports of an F-35 from the USS Abraham Lincoln shooting down an Iranian Shahed-type drone near U.S. naval assets. The Wall Street Journal also reports Iranian gunboats allegedly harassed a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in a key maritime corridor.