Iranian and US representatives met in a last-ditch bid to reach a nuclear deal and avert armed conflict.
US President Donald Trump has moved huge military forces to the Middle East, and demanded Tehran pledge not to build a nuclear weapon. Iran’s foreign minister made such a pledge this week, but said it would continue its civilian program.
There is skepticism over how civilian it really is: Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed state to have enriched uranium at near-weapons-grade level, the BBC noted.
The two sides seem far apart. The US wants any deal to address Iran’s support for regional proxies, in addition to the development of ballistic missiles; Tehran denies supporting groups such as Hezbollah or building long-range weapons.