Breakthrough talks

Men walk past a mural depicting the Statue of Liberty with the torch-bearing arm broken, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran, colloquially-referred to as the ‘Spy Den,’ on Tuesday. Iran said it will send its top diplomat to Oman for breakthrough talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump announced direct discussions on its nuclear program. Iran ally Russia welcomed the prospect of negotiations for a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers unilaterally abandoned by Trump in 2018.