Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday, a date brought forward as indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman restart and Tehran presses its enrichment rights while ruling out missile negotiations.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 8th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
After months of heightened tension following their war in June 2025 and weeks of escalating mutual threats, Iran and the United States resumed fragile nuclear diplomacy on Friday, as negotiators from both sides held critical mediated talks in Muscat, Oman.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Iran and the United States opened nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, with Tehran calling the meeting a good start and both sides agreeing to continue discussions after returning to their capitals for consultations.
If Fars News Agency is to be believed, Iran's neighbours should be on alert. The agency, which reportedly mirrors the views of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned Azerbaijan and Türkiye that if the U.S. and Israel attack Iran, they will become "legitimate targets for Tehran."
In recent years, Abu Dhabi has emerged as a venue for high-stakes diplomacy, hosting sensitive talks on conflicts ranging from Ukraine-Russia to Armenia-Azerbaijan, as the United Arab Emirates positions itself as a neutral platform amid deepening global divisions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) say they've detained two vessels in the Persian Gulf carrying more than 1 million litres of smuggled fuel, state media said, with 15 foreign crew members handed to judicial authorities.
The United States and Iran are set to hold nuclear talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue and a strictly bilateral, nuclear-focused format, a move that is fuelling questions about Iran’s negotiating strategy.
Images from Iran's Paya (Tolu 3) Earth observation satellite have been officially displayed for the first time by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
The U.S. and Iran have agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday (5 February), even as they remained at odds over Washington's insistence that negotiations include Tehran's missile arsenal and Iran's vow to discuss only its nuclear programme.
Armed boats tried to intercept a vessel north of Oman on Tuesday in waters near the Strait of Hormuz, where heightened military activity and U.S.–Iran tensions are fuelling maritime security concerns.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has begun a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, seeking to deepen political and economic cooperation as regional tensions over Gaza, Iran and wider Middle East stability dominate the agenda.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday for renewed discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to reporting by Axios.
Any U.S. military strike on Iran would almost certainly trigger cross-border retaliation and could ignite a wider regional war, according to political analyst James M. Dorsey.
Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar are trying to organise a meeting in Ankara between White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and top Iranian officials, according to reports in the U.S. and Turkish media.
Iran's leadership warned of a regional conflict on Sunday (1 February) if the U.S. were to attack it, stoking the tension between Washington and Tehran, and it designated EU armies as "terrorist groups" in a retaliatory move.
Iranian media outlets have backtracked on claims President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered a return to nuclear talks with the United States, fuelling fresh uncertainty over the state of diplomacy between the two rivals.
The Trump administration has signalled it remains open to diplomatic engagement with Iran, even as the United States increases its military presence in the Persian Gulf, according to a report by Axios.
Iran’s foreign minister says a return to nuclear diplomacy with the United States remains possible, provided mutual trust can be restored, warning that any military confrontation would trigger a wider regional conflict.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron have discussed developments related to Iran and wider regional tensions during a phone call, Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said.
A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Asaluyeh in southern Iran on Sunday morning, according to state media.
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