Indirect talks between the United States and Iran regarding Tehran's nuclear program resumed in Geneva on Tuesday, as the Middle East remained on edge, according to Iranian state media and BBC World. The discussions, hosted by Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, follow repeated military threats against Iran and come amid rising tensions.
The negotiations, taking place in the Omani mission building, are the second round of talks. Omani officials are shuttling between the two sides, according to a spokesperson. The stakes are high, but the talks are on tenuous ground. Iran insists the negotiations are strictly limited to its nuclear program, while U.S. officials have stated they will push to curb the range of Iran's ballistic missiles and its support of militias across the region, according to the NY Times. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One ahead of the latest talks, US President Donald Trump said he believed Iran wanted to make a deal, according to BBC World. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Tehran said it believed that the US position on the nuclear issue had moved towards a deal.
In other news, a popular rock structure in Italy known as the "Lovers Arch" collapsed on Valentine's Day following days of poor weather, according to Fox News. The natural formation, part of the Sant'Andrea sea stacks along southern Italy's Adriatic coast, was often used as a backdrop for tourist photos and wedding proposals. "This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift," Maurizio Cisternino, the mayor of the nearby town of Melendugno, was quoted as saying by a local newspaper. Cisternino described the collapse as a "very hard blow" for the area after days of heavy rain, strong winds, and rough seas.
Additionally, in East Jerusalem, visitors can now walk the ancient Pilgrims' Road for the first time in 2,000 years, according to Fox News. Known to archaeologists as the stepped street, Pilgrims' Road served as the city's main thoroughfare, connecting the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount during the Second Temple period.
Finally, Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to meet in Geneva for the latest round of US-brokered talks, a week before the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to BBC World. Expectations for a breakthrough remain low, as Moscow has not wavered from its maximalist demands for Ukrainian territory. Russia's strikes on Ukraine are continuing on a nightly basis, further damaging the country's already battered power grid as subzero temperatures continue.
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