[Iran Willing to Suspend Nuclear Program, U.S.-Iran Senior Officials Communicate via Text Messages] February 3 news: Senior officials from the United States and Iran are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday to ease tensions between the two countries. According to Iranian and U.S. officials, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi and U.S. envoy Whitcoff have been directly communicating via text messages. Sources indicate that Iran is willing to shut down or suspend its nuclear program and is inclined toward the regional nuclear power production consortium proposal put forward last year. Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's National Security Council, recently met with Russian President Putin in Moscow to convey a message from Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, indicating that Iran could agree to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, similar to the approach under the framework of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).