Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to intercept a US oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday before a US Navy vessel intervened, reports say.

The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.

As diplomats prepare for negotiations behind closed doors, one Iranian lawmaker just went in the opposite direction—calling for pre-emptive military strikes on Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.

Iran requests nuclear talks with the U.S. in Oman as diplomatic efforts intensify amid escalating regional tensions and military buildup in the Middle East.

By Jonathan Spicer and Parisa Hafezi ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Iran is prepared for the resumption of talks with the United States, but they should be fair and not include Iran's defence capabilities,

The U.S. military has deployed dozens of aircraft and assembled about 12 warships near Iran in the last month, setting the stage for possible strikes.

Even with US forces poised to strike Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for a peaceful resolution of tensions with Washington following renewed military threats from US President Donald Trump. During a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,