Intelligence Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz warned Thursday that Israel could act unilaterally against Iran over its nuclear drive, saying Tehran has failed to make concessions in talks with world powers.

"I won't be too specific but all options are still on the table," Steinitz told reporters.

An influential Iranian general who has reportedly been near the front line against the Islamic State group was quoted Thursday saying the jihadists are "nearing the end of their lives."

General Qassem Suleimani, the once rarely seen commander of the powerful Quds Force, has become the public face of Iran's support for the Iraqi and Syrian governments against jihadists.

Russia's alleged tactics in the Ukraine conflict including covert military action and social media campaigns could inspire other nations such as China and Iran, a top defense think-tank warned Wednesday.

Most armies around the world are ill-prepared to tackle this new type of "hybrid warfare", the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its annual Military Balance report.

Iran's president said Wednesday that the world needs its help to stabilize a troubled Middle East, in remarks pointing to the wider ramifications of a deal over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

In a live televised speech marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, Hassan Rouhani implicitly linked ongoing nuclear talks with world powers to resolving bloody conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

At least two U.S. senators, including the chamber's longest-serving lawmaker, will skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress next month, deepening a partisan fissure over the controversial address.

In a blunt statement Tuesday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy accused Republican leaders in the House of Representatives of "unilaterally" arranging and politicizing Netanyahu's planned address before a joint meeting of Congress on March 3.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that he would rather see no deal reached with major powers on his country's nuclear programme than one that undercut national interests.

His comments came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for a second time on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany, to ratchet up efforts for a lasting nuclear accord.

Secretary of State John Kerry stressed to his Iranian counterpart Friday that the U.S. aimed to meet a late March deadline for a deal reining in Iran's nuclear program.

Kerry "reiterated our desire to move toward a political framework by the end of March", a senior U.S. official said after the secretary met Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for two hours in Munich.

The investigator probing the mysterious death of an Argentine prosecutor who was carrying out a politically explosive investigation has summoned a powerful former spy for questioning Thursday, local media reported.

Prosecutor Viviana Fein, who is leading the investigation into her late colleague Alberto Nisman's death last month, has ordered ex-intelligence agent Antonio "Jaime" Stiuso to present himself at her office Thursday morning for questioning in the case, said daily newspaper La Nacion, citing judicial sources.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart on efforts to secure a deal over Tehran's nuclear drive, a U.S. official said Thursday.  

"Secretary Kerry will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister (Mohammad Javad) Zarif in Munich, Germany on Saturday to discuss the ongoing nuclear negotiations," a senior State Department official said. 

Iran launched an observation satellite Monday -- its first since 2012 -- with President Hassan Rouhani declaring it safely entered orbit and that he had personally ordered the mission.

The Fajr (Dawn) satellite was successfully placed 450 kilometers (280 miles) above Earth, said Al-Alam television, an Arabic-language station owned by the Islamic republic.