Turkey seeks to arrange US-Iran talks by end of week – Rezazade

Turkey is actively working to bring US and Iranian officials to the negotiating table in an attempt to reduce tensions and prevent possible US military action against Iran.

So far, neither side has officially confirmed whether it will participate in potential talks. Two Turkish officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Ankara is trying to arrange a meeting between US special representative Steve Witkoff and the Iranian leadership. According to them, the meeting could take place as early as this week.

The US military has moved the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers to the Middle East region. However, it is still unclear whether US President Donald Trump will decide to use force against the Iranian government, as he himself has previously hinted, in response to the brutal suppression of protests last month and continuing pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. “We’re talking to Iran, we’ll see how it goes,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked what his threshold for military action against Iran would be, the president avoided specifics. “I would like to see a deal. We’re talking to them right now, and if we can make a deal, that’s great. If we can’t, bad things could happen,” he added.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also told reporters in Florida about the possibility of “regime change” in Iran: “Not right now.”

There has been talk that Turkey could be a venue for a high-level meeting to bring Arab and Muslim countries together with the United States and Iran, according to an Arab diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

President Trump is seeking to pressure Iran to reach a deal that would limit its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff held numerous talks last year in Rome and Oman, but no deal was ever reached.

Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day war between the countries and effectively halting the talks. During the conflict, the United States struck three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bahai declined to comment on the details of the possible talks in Ankara. The United States has not yet made any official statements about the contacts.

Witkoff is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli security officials on Tuesday and travel to Abu Dhabi later in the week for talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

International expert and first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazade, assesses Turkey's role as an attempt to prevent the escalation of the conflict and create a "neutral channel of communication" that will allow the US and Iran to test the possibilities of a diplomatic settlement without drawing regional alliances into direct confrontation. "If these talks take place, they will be the first serious step towards easing tensions after a long period of military and political preparation by both sides," Rezazade notes.