The United States' travel advisory comes just ahead of high-level talks scheduled on Friday with Iranian officials in Oman, where diplomats are expected to address Iran’s nuclear programme and wider regional issues.

Tehran has conditionally accepted an American proposal for dialogue aimed at preventing further military escalation between the two adversaries. The move represents a significant diplomatic opening after weeks of increasingly hostile exchanges.

The White House says talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials are still planned after a Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

WASHINGTON — Top Trump administration officials do not yet have clear guidance on what President Donald Trump would hope to accomplish with military action in Iran as U.S. and Iranian officials plan to meet Friday to try to avoid a war,

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.

Iran and the United States were preparing for talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington looking to see if there was any prospect of diplomatic progress on the Iranian nuclear programme and other issues while refusing to rule out military action.

US Central Command showed off the workings of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Thursday as tensions with Iran continue to escalate.

Iran says the talks must be confined to its long-running nuclear dispute with Western powers, rejecting a US demand to also discuss Tehran’s ballistic missiles, and warning that pushing issues beyond the nuclear programme could jeopardise the talks.

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Parisa Hafezi ISTANBUL/ DUBAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is working hard to prevent U.S.-Iran tensions from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict,