The BBC World Service has launched a temporary emergency lifeline radio programme for Iran in response to the ongoing turmoil in the country, and the unprecedented crackdown on protests.

Delegations from the United States and Iran concluded indirect talks in the Gulf Arab state of Oman Friday. It was the first round of negotiations between the two sides since the US and Israel struck the Islamic Republic last summer.

Repairs at key missile sites began soon after they were hit by Israeli and U.S. strikes last year, but work at Iran’s nuclear facilities has been slower.

Low oil prices give President Donald Trump more leverage over Iran, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday, speaking as the two adversaries teeter on the brink of another conflict.

Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman on Friday, negotiations that appeared to return to the starting point on how to approach discussions over Tehran's nuclear program.

Middle Eastern diplomats see a chance for progress on Iran’s nuclear program, but they are pessimistic about other U.S. demands.

The presence of U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, in his dress uniform at the talks in Muscat, the Omani capital, served as a reminder that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships were now off the coast of Iran in the Arabian Sea.

Iran and the United States held negotiations via Omani mediation on Friday to try to overcome sharp differences over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Iran seized two oil tankers Thursday while former Iranian minister Ezzatollah Zarghami threatened to make the Strait of Hormuz a "massacre and hell" for U.S. forces.