DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States held a fourth round of negotiations Sunday over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, just ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to the Middle East this week.

A fourth round of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme have taken place in Oman, with both sides agreeing to meet again. US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions in Muscat were encouraging,

President Trump cherishes big, out-of-the-box deals. As he tours the region, Trump should think beyond Iran’s nuclear issue and work to achieve the denuclearization of the entire Middle East.

Energy & Environment Energy & Environment   The Big Story US accuses companies of giving Iranian oil to China The Treasury Department announced on Tuesday

Delayed nuclear talks, military deployments, proxy conflicts, and direct threats look to be pushing the U.S. and Iran closer to conflict.

An Iranian official told CNN that recent indirect talks with the United States aimed at addressing Tehran’s nuclear program and lifting sanctions were “not genuine” from the American side and were likely designed from the outset as a “trap to draw the situation toward tension.

The US and Iran will continue talks over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, after discussions on Sunday that were described as encouraging by Washington and “difficult but useful” by Tehran.

Suspected Islamist militants attacked a Nigerian army base and captured soldiers and ammunition during a raid in the insurgency-hit northeastern Borno state in the early hours of Monday, two security sources told Reuters.

High-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. signal tentative progress as pressure mounts ahead of President Trump's Middle East visit.