The Israeli strikes killed top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists ahead of planned weekend negotiations aimed at addressing international concerns over Iran's uranium enrichment program.

Israel launched an airstrike on Iran overnight. Blasts were heard in the capital Tehran around 3am local time. Israel's defense ministry warned it expects missile and drone retaliation.

Markets in Asia opened lower early Friday while oil prices surged after Israel attacked Iran's capital amid the ramping up tensions over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

President Trump warned that a "massive" war could break out in the Middle East over Iran's nuclear program, after the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran wasn't complying with its nonproliferation duties.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board of governors formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions.

President Trump has put Steve Witkoff — a friend from New York's real estate world — in charge of delicate talks on the war in Ukraine, Iran's nuclear ambitions and the conflict in Gaza.

Iran says it will have indirect talks with the U.S. Saturday in Oman, opening possible diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program but revealing a potential sticking point about the format for negotiating.

It's been more than a decade since the two powers have had direct talks. President Trump offered few details about what the talks would entail, or when they'd be scheduled.

Trump blames Iran for Houthi attacks on international shipping

President Trump has already shaken up the Middle East by suggesting a U.S. takeover of Gaza. More drama could be on the way when the president spells out plans for other parts of the volatile region.

Syria's interim president says the now departed Iranian forces were damaging to his country and also posed a threat to the wider Middle East.

What began as a battle between Israel and Hamas morphed into a much wider regional conflict that has reshaped much of the Middle East.

Former diplomat Barry Rosen was a hostage during the Iran crisis. In an interview with All Things Considered, he reflects on former President Jimmy Carter's quest to free him.

Lebanon's parliament chose the head of the country's armed forces, Joseph Aoun, to be its next president, a post that's been vacant since October 2022.

Earlier this year, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fled his country to escape an eight-year prison sentence. His new film centers on a middle class family grappling with Iran's social unrest.