Iran has been thrust into darkness, with both internet connectivity and GPS signals now ceasing to function across the Middle Eastern nation.

The communications blackout arrives as U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration prepare for potential military action against Iran, with the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group moving steadily closer to the Middle East.

It represents the most substantial deployment of U.S. military assets in the region since the Iraq conflict.

Accounts from local news outlets and blogs within and surrounding Iran indicate that residents throughout the country have lost access to both GPS and internet services.

One journalist reported that all Persian-language news broadcasts and political channels were suspended after the nation was disconnected from the Yahsat satellite.

Further details were not immediately available, and Iranian authorities have not yet issued statements regarding the purported outage. Initial reports indicate that internet access has not been completely severed, though satellite coverage across the country remains patchy in numerous regions.

The disruption follows hours after Iranian officials concluded another round of talks with the U.S., which appears increasingly close to initiating full-scale military operations against the country.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi described Thursday as “one of the most serious and longest negotiation rounds” and revealed that both nations “met for nearly four hours in the morning and two and a half hours in the afternoon.

“We made good progress during these long, intense hours,” Araghchi said in a statement posted by local media on Telegram.

“We have entered very seriously into the elements of an agreement, both in the nuclear and sanctions domains,” he added. “Regarding some issues, an understanding has now been reached, and on others, it’s natural that we have differences of opinion.

“Perhaps more than before, a seriousness was evident on both sides to reach a negotiated solution,” he continued. “It was agreed that technical teams would begin technical reviews in Vienna on Monday at the International Atomic Energy Agency, with the help of that organization’s experts, to reach a framework and template for certain technical issues.”

Araghchi confirmed that sanctions relief featured amongst the subjects discussed, noting that Iran had “very clearly stated” its “expectations” on the matter.

“Consultations must take place in the capitals, and after that, we will hold the fourth round of negotiations next week,” the statement concluded.

Trump threatening war with Iran.

Trump, who abandoned a previous nuclear deal with Iran during his first term in office, has repeatedly warned of military action to force Iran into agreeing to curb its nuclear programme, which Trump claimed to have “obliterated” following the 12-day conflict in June, during which the US targeted Iranian nuclear facilities. Tehran has warned it would retaliate with a strike of its own.

Trump has further issued warnings to Iran regarding the killing of protesters. Both nations have indicated their readiness for conflict should negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme collapse, whilst the US has assembled its largest military presence in the Middle East in decades as hostilities with Iran have escalated.