U.S. forces in the region have been building up ahead of a threatened attack on Iran as well as during strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi militia

Abbas Araqchi, Iran's seasoned top diplomat, faces one of his most delicate challenges ever this weekend as he prepares to lead talks with the U.S. to secure a new nuclear deal and avert a military strike against the Islamic Republic.

Following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement: Direct nuclear talks are underway between arch foes the United States and Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says upcoming talks with the U.S. could guarantee results but "wall of mistrust" remains.

The risk is if talks hit a logjam, the U.S. or Israel could decide to strike, potentially prompting retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.

Iran’s president again has pledged his nation is “not after a nuclear bomb” ahead of talks between Tehran and the United States.

Expected talks between Iran and the United States would be a late, and perhaps last, opportunity to control Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and avoid war.

If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was looking for the easy political victories that once gushed from US President Donald Trump, he left the Oval Office empty-handed.

Iran has rapidly advanced its drone capabilities, including surveillance and attack systems and it has become a major exporter — including to Russia, which has used Iranian drones in its war against Ukraine. In January, the Iranian army acquired 1,000 drones with a reported range of more than 1,200 miles and high destructive capacity.