DUBAI:  Turkey is attempting to bring US and Iranian officials to the negotiating table in hopes of easing the threat of US military action against Iran.

Neither the US nor Iran has confirmed whether they plan to take part in any negotiations. Two Turkish officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Turkey is trying to organize a meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian leaders. The meeting could take place as soon as the end of the week, one of the officials said.

The US military has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers into the Middle East, but it remains unclear whether US President Donald Trump would decide to use force against the Iranian government, as he has suggested he might do in retribution for their devastating crackdown on last month’s protests and as he presses for a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.