DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Talks between Iran and the United States will be held Friday in Oman, Iranian media reported as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.

The semiofficial ISNA and Tasnim news agencies and the Student News Network reported on Wednesday that the talks would take place in Oman, though the sultanate did not immediately confirm this. Oman has hosted multiple rounds of earlier nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. in the past.

The U.S. has not acknowledged the talks would take place in Oman, though the White House said it anticipated the negotiations would take place even after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone Tuesday and Iran attempted to stop a U.S.-flagged ship.

Also on Wednesday, activists said the number of arrests topped 50,000 in the government crackdown, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in other rounds of unrest in Iran.

At least 50,834 people have been arrested in connection with the Iranian government's crackdown on protests, the activists said. The crackdown on the demonstrations has also killed at least 6,876 people, though there are fears many more may be dead.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll due to the sweeping internet shutdown in Iran.

On Tuesday, Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S. in what was the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate.

The announcement came as a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier early on Tuesday morning. Iranian fast boats from its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also tried to stop a U.S.-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Navy said. Iran did not immediately acknowledge either incident.

The incidents strained but apparently did not totally derail hopes for talks between Iran and the U.S. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has been planning to hold talks with Iranian officials in Turkey later this week.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the US might use force against Iran in response to its deadly crackdown on protesters, and also is pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program.

Trump ”is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” Leavitt said. “You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy and that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing.”

The shift toward negotiations marked a major turn for Iran, and it also signals that the move is supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state. The 86-year-old cleric previously had dismissed any negotiations.

Also on Wednesday, Iranian military chiefs visited a missile base of the country in attempt to highlight its military readiness after a 12-day war with Israel in June devastated Iran's air defenses. The footage of the visit to a base holding the Khorramshahr missile, which has a range of more than 2,000 kilomters (1,250 miles) and was launched towards Israel during the war, will be broadcast on Iranian state television Wednesday evening.

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