U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Iran the "most destructive force" in the Middle East, blaming Tehran for instability across the region and warning that the United States will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon.

In remarks kicking off a four-day visit to the Middle East on Tuesday, President Donald Trump urged Iran to take a “new and a better path” as he pushed Tehran for a new nuclear deal.

Iran's army chief of staff said the Islamic Republic's armed forces are at peak combat and intelligence readiness, warning that while enemies may start a conflict, Iran will decide how and where it ends,

The talks among senior diplomats come as both sides seek to position themselves ahead of an expected fifth round of U.S.-Iranian negotiations in the coming days. Earlier talks planned on May 2 were postponed with Britain,

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.

Nadergholi Ebrahimi has asked Supreme Leader Khamenei to rethink Iran's nuclear policy if negotiations with the U.S. collapse.