By Angeliki Koutantou and Yannis Souliotis

ATHENS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Fifteen migrants died after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel, capsized and sank off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea late on Tuesday, the coast guard said, in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in Greece in years.

The incident occurred after a migrant boat sailing towards Chios with its navigation lights switched off ignored signals from a coast guard patrol vessel and changed course, the coast guard said in a statement.

US and Iranian officials are due this week to hold their first talks since Iran launched a deadly crackdown on protests, in a meeting likely to be crucial in determining if the US carries out renewed military action against the Islamic republic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that "nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat" Friday morning, thanking Oman "for making all the necessary arrangements".

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz headed to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to kick off a Gulf tour as the biggest EU economy seeks to diversify its key trade and energy partnerships.

In a turbulent world where US President Donald Trump has rocked long-standing transatlantic security and economic ties, Germany is racing to cement alternative relationships worldwide.

Joined by a business delegation, the conservative leader will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a whistlestop tour that concludes Friday.

MOSCOW, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a proposal to remove uranium from Iran as part of a deal to ease U.S. concerns was still on the table, but that it was for Tehran to decide whether or not to remove it.

"Russia once offered to export Iran's enriched uranium reserves to its territory. This initiative is still on the table," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

By Elwely Elwelly

DUBAI, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Iran, which is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States on Friday in Oman, has always warned its formidable ballistic missile program - one of the biggest in the Middle East - is a red line in any negotiations.

The latest test of Iran's missile capabilities occurred during the 12-day war in June 2025 with Israel during which Tehran fired salvoes of ballistic missiles into Israel, killing dozens of people and wrecking dozens of buildings and apartment blocks in the country's centre and north.

By Rami Ayyub, Emily Rose and Alexander Cornwell

JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. has yet to secure funding commitments for its Gaza reconstruction plan as potential donors voice concerns that disagreements over Hamas disarmament could lead Israel to resume full-scale war in the enclave, sources told Reuters.

Hamas laying down its weapons is a key requirement under Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war. It calls for Israel's military to withdraw troops as Hamas disarms and for Gaza's reconstruction to be overseen by a "Board of Peace" chaired by the U.S. President.

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By Tuvan Gumrukcu

DUBAI, Feb 4 - The U.S. and Iran are due to hold talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue to limit negotiations to its nuclear programme, a regional official said, with a build-up of U.S. forces in the Middle East raising fears of a confrontation.

Gazan health officials said Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed 24 people, with Israel's military saying the attacks were in response to one of its officers being wounded by enemy gunfire.

Despite an ongoing US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

The latest bloodshed came after Israel partly reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only gateway to the Palestinian territory that does not pass through Israel.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Vital aid flights to the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, blocked for a month by the Iran-aligned group, will resume this month, allowing critical supplies to reach millions in need amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

The Houthis' decision on Tuesday to approve flights for the month of February will allow aid groups to enter and exit the capital, Sanaa, which is under the group's control, U.N. Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis said in a statement.

KYIV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began a second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, seeking to advance efforts to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two.

The two-day trilateral meetings come after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia had exploited a U.S.-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday.