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MOUNTING fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East appear to have eased after Iran hailed new nuclear talks with the US as "positive".
The indirect talks, which took place in Muscat, Oman, came after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the country "like you've never seen".
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Defying expectations of a fiery confrontation, the meeting was instead held "in a constructive atmosphere", according to Iran's Foreign Ministry.
The Middle Eastern country also said that after two-and-a-half hours of indirect talks, Iranian diplomat Abbas Aragchi and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff actually spoke directly.
They added that discussions would continue next week.
Oman diplomat Badr al-Busaidi confirmed that the talks were positive, saying that they began in a "friendly atmosphere".
He said on X: "The engagement took place in a friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security and stability."
The US has not yet commented on the talks.
The chummy talks come after looming fears of an inevitable full-scale war between Tehran and Washington.
The Don has previously blasted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime - threatening "great danger" if they did not sign a new nuclear deal.
Earlier this week, British ambassador Sir Richard Dalton said that war had never been closer, and that the situation was the "most dangerous it has ever been".
War between US and Iran has never been closer - and Tehran won’t back down to Trump, warns ex-UK ambassador
The US and Israel have traded intensifying threats of destruction with Iran as tensions increased in recent weeks.
Trump announced the talks earlier this week, saying: "Everyone agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.
"The obvious is not something I want to be involved with, or that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it."
He continued: "If the talks aren't successful, Iran is going to be in great danger.
"Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. It will be a very dangerous day for Iran."
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Monday after a surprise invitation from Trump to discuss the attacks on Iran.
The Israeli leader believes he has the independent ability to effectively strike Iran's nuclear program - but has teamed up with Trump just to make sure.
The US is also thought to have delivered an "advanced missile defence system" to Israel ahead of Netanyahu's visit.
A number of B-2 Spirit bombers, which can be armed with nuclear weapons, have also been sent to the Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia - which is in range of Iran.
The US Navy also doubled the number of carriers in the region in preparation, moving the aircraft carrier that dumped Osama Bin Laden's body - the USS Carl Vinson - to the area.
Iran's accelerates nuclear development
Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
IRAN is believed to have accelerated its nuclear weapons development and is building terrifying nuclear warheads for solid-fuel missiles with a range exceeding 1,800 miles (3,000km).
A powerful blast from Iran could impact on several continents due to the chilling capability of the warheads.
Italy, Ukraine, Sudan, India and even large swaths of Russia would all potentially be in the firing line.
They are being developed at two sites in Shahrud and Semnan, which were previously pinned as rocket or space satellite launch sites.
A third site, Sorkheh Hesar, is also said to be carrying out projects, including research on nuclear power and underground explosions.
Nukes are being quickly created under the watchful eye of the regime's nuclear weaponization entity, the Organization for Advanced Defense Research (SPND).
Bosses are developing nuclear warheads for the solid-fuel Ghaem-100 missiles, which are equipped with mobile launch platforms at the Shahrud site.
Iran's rocket designers have used North Korea's missiles as a guide to develop the Ghaem-100 missile.
When the missile was in a very early testing stage in 2011, dozens of missile experts were killed at the Modarres site in Tehran.
Personnel vehicles are banned from entering the Shahrud site and are forced to park at a checkpoint before people are transported in.
Meanwhile, they are using the liquid fuel missile Simorgh to develop nuclear warheads in Semnan.
Iran has staged three successful Ghaem-100 missile launches over the past two years, enhancing the regime's capability to deploy nuclear weapons.
Last week, the US and Israel launched a fresh round of strikes against pro-Iranian forces in neighbouring countries.
Houthi targets in Yemen and the new regime in Syria were battered with airstrikes.
Iran had placed its military on full alert, preparing for what state-aligned media claimed could be a “devastating” US-Israeli attack.
The fearful country also issued chilling notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain, warning that any support for a US attack on Iran would be seen an act of hostility.
The already explosive backdrop was further intensified by fresh US intelligence on Iranian threats to assassinate Trump - a plot allegedly linked to revenge for the 2020 drone strike on IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.
Trump warned: "I’ve left instructions - if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left."
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English (US) · 