The US and Iran have agreed to hold nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, as President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the meeting would start at 10:00 (06:00 GMT) in Muscat. US officials also confirmed it would happen there. The talks had appeared to be in jeopardy, with the two countries at odds over the location and parameters. Trump has built up US forces in the region and threatened military action if Iran does not agree a deal on its nuclear programme and stop killing protesters.

The Iranian drone that the U.S. military says it shot down after it "aggressively approached" a Navy aircraft carrier was conducting a surveillance mission, Iranian media reports.

Wild fluctuations in the price of gold continued on Wednesday as geopolitical tensions reignited after the US downed an Iranian drone . The precious metal, which is seen as a so-called safe haven for investors in times of uncertainty, shot back above $5,000 (£3,650) an ounce following days of sharp falls. Gold prices had been propelled to record highs by rapid changes in US trade policy, ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and conflict and central banks increasing their purchases of bullion. Wednesday's jump, to $5,061 per ounce, left the price of gold around 80% higher than the same time a year ago. A US military spokesman confirmed the Iranian drone had been shot down after it aggressively approached an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Tehran has not commented on Tuesday's incident.

A Navy fighter jet on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that aggressively approached a U.S. aircraft carrier transiting the Arabian Sea, according to a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command. The downing of the drone comes at a moment of heightened tension in the region, as the U.S. military builds up forces for a possible confrontation with Iran. Last month, President Trump threatened to attack the country after its government brutally crushed anti-government protests that began in late December. As the protests have ebbed, Mr. Trump has shifted his focus to demanding a deal that would end Iran's nuclear program and its support for proxy groups in the Middle East, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis operating in Yemen. Talks between Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi; Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy; and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, are scheduled to take place in Istanbul this week.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, is seen at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego last August. President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. and Iran are maintaining diplomatic talks, even after an earlier skirmish in the Arabian Sea spooked oil markets amid heightened tensions between the two countries. We are negotiating with them right now" and they'd like to do something," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. They had a chance to do something a while ago and it didn't work out, and we did Midnight Hammer," he said, referring to the June U.S. military strike in Iran. Earlier Tuesday, a U.S. F-35C warplane shot down a drone in self-defense as the unmanned aircraft aggressively approached" the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with unclear intent," U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The command said no American service members were harmed and no U.S. equipment was damaged.

An Iranian drone was shot down as it aggressively approached an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, a US military spokesman has said. An F-35C stealth fighter jet which took off from the USS Abraham Lincoln warship shot down the drone in self-defence to protect the aircraft carrier and its personnel, US Central Command spokesman Capt Tim Hawkins said. The ship was approximately 500 miles from the Iranian coast when the drone approached it with unclear intent. No US service members were harmed and no equipment was damaged. It comes as the US continues to build up a military presence in the region, with tensions high between Washington and Tehran.

Iran says'ready for war' Which are Iran's main opposition groups? The United States military says it shot down an Iranian drone that approached a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, amid continued efforts by regional powers to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran. In a statement on Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Tim Hawkins said a US fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln "shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board". CENTCOM said the drone "aggressively approached" the aircraft carrier with "unclear intent" and it "continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters". There was no immediate comment from the Iranian authorities on the incident.

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Israel activated a new aerial defense system – dubbed "Barak Magen" – for the first time on Sunday night, saying it intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian drones. Israel activated a new aerial defense system – dubbed "Barak Magen," meaning "lightning shield" – for the first time on Sunday night, saying it intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian drones. The Israeli Navy intercepted eight Iranian drones using the "Barak Magen" and its long-range air defense (LRAD) interceptor, which were launched from an Israeli navy Sa'ar 6 missile ship, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. John Hannah, senior fellow at the National Security of America and the co-author of a report published earlier this month on Israel's defense against two massive Iranian missile attacks in 2024, told Fox News Digital on Monday that the air defense system "significantly enhances" the air and missile defense architecture of Israel's navy. "The Barak Magen is simply another arrow in the expanding quiver of Israel's highly sophisticated and increasingly diverse multi-tiered missile defense architecture – which was already, by leaps and bounds, the most advanced and experienced air defense system fielded by any country in the world," Hannah said.

With the collapse of the Assad regime and Russia's declining influence in Syria, some are saying that an opportunity for a rapprochement between Israel and Ukraine now exists, where it hadn't before. "Israel needs to be more involved in supporting Ukraine," Yuli Edelstein, the chair of Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Community and a member of the ruling Likud party, told Fox News Digital. "The situation has changed, it's time for Israel to step up." Edelstein, a leading voice in Israel's defense and foreign policy discussions, said "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," adding, "We see a strategic alliance between the Russians and the Iranians. If before it was the great Russia adopting Iran, now it's important to recognize that the balance of power has changed."