Many Iranians are worried as the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East and the next round of talks in Geneva get closer. There is a belief that the talks on Thursday may give their country's theocracy its last chance to strike a deal with President Donald Trump. There is also a feeling of hopelessness in a country battered by decades of sanctions, heightened by Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Iranians also last month suffered through the bloodiest crackdown on dissent in the country's modern history, with security forces killing thousands of people and detaining tens of thousands more.

As Iran threatens to attack Israel over the assassination of a Hamas leader in the Iranian capital, its long-vaunted missile program offers one of the few ways for Tehran to strike back directly. But questions loom over just how much of a danger it poses. The program was behind Iran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel in April, when Iran became the first nation to launch such a barrage since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein lobbed Scud missiles at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War. But few of the projectiles reached their targets. A new report shared exclusively with The Associated Press suggests one of Iran's advanced missiles is far less accurate than previously thought.

The U.S.-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels has turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy has faced since World War II. That's what its leaders and experts tell The Associated Press, whose journalists visited U.S. ships off Yemen in recent days. The fight against the near-daily attacks by the Houthis has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza. More than 50 vessels have been clearly targeted by the rebels. Other fire has endangered shipping through the vital Red Sea corridor. It appears the warfare likely only will intensify, putting the U.S. and allies more at risk.

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In 1773, Warren Hastings, first British governor general of India, forms alliance with state of Oudh for campaign against the Mahrathas.

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NEW YORK -- Wall Street kept its faith in the war with Iraq and posted a seventh straight day of gains Thursday. Still, the advance was limite…