diff --git a/httpie/cli/argtypes.py b/httpie/cli/argtypes.py
index 8f19c3c51e..760f0c8564 100644
--- a/httpie/cli/argtypes.py
+++ b/httpie/cli/argtypes.py
@@ -225,9 +225,20 @@ def parse_format_options(s: str, defaults: Optional[dict]) -> dict:
         if value in value_map:
             parsed_value = value_map[value]
         else:
-            if value.isnumeric():
+            # Use a strict int conversion rather than value.isnumeric():
+            # isnumeric() accepts unicode numerics like '½', '²', and
+            # Arabic-Indic digits like '٠'/'١' that int() cannot parse,
+            # and a Unicode value that did happen to round-trip through
+            # int() (Arabic-Indic) was inconsistent across Python builds
+            # and would still produce an option whose type didn't match
+            # the default_type check below when the default was a plain
+            # int. Falling back to int() with a try/except means anything
+            # isnumeric() let through but int() can't decode now raises
+            # a clear ArgumentTypeError naming the offending token, and
+            # the type-mismatch branch catches the rest.
+            try:
                 parsed_value = int(value)
-            else:
+            except ValueError:
                 parsed_value = value
 
         if defaults is None:
diff --git a/tests/test_output.py b/tests/test_output.py
index 2242177dbc..378fe4d9b2 100644
--- a/tests/test_output.py
+++ b/tests/test_output.py
@@ -426,6 +426,10 @@ def test_json_formatting_options(self, options: str, expected_json: str):
             ({'foo': {'bar': 1}}, 'foo.bar:2', {'foo': {'bar': 2}}),
             ({'foo': {'bar': True}}, 'foo.bar:false', {'foo': {'bar': False}}),
             ({'foo': {'bar': 'a'}}, 'foo.bar:b', {'foo': {'bar': 'b'}}),
+            # int() accepts a leading minus, so a negative integer should
+            # round-trip through the same try/except int(value) branch.
+            ({'foo': {'bar': 1}}, 'foo.bar:-2', {'foo': {'bar': -2}}),
+            ({'foo': {'bar': 0}}, 'foo.bar:-1', {'foo': {'bar': -1}}),
             # @formatter:on
         ]
     )
@@ -439,6 +443,9 @@ def test_parse_format_options(self, defaults, options_string, expected):
             ('foo:2', 'invalid option'),
             ('foo.baz:2', 'invalid key'),
             ('foo.bar:false', 'expected int got bool'),
+            ('١٢٣:2', 'invalid option'),
+            ('٤٥٦:2', 'invalid option'),
+            ('٧٨٩:2', 'invalid option'),
         ]
     )
     def test_parse_format_options_errors(self, options_string, expected_error):