An Iranian woman walks in Palestine Square in Tehran. AFP
Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran have raised fears of a potential military confrontation, after Washington expanded its naval and air deployments across the region.
The US claims that the build-up is meant as a deterrent, while governments across the Middle East warn that any strike could rapidly widen the crisis and threaten regional stability.
Tehran has repeatedly warned that even a limited attack would prompt a broad response, as Iranian forces conducted live-fire drills near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive shipping routes.
A senior US official told Axios that the Trump administration has conveyed to Iran through multiple channels that it is open to meeting to negotiate a deal.
Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, which previously worked with the Trump administration on the Gaza ceasefire, are now seeking to facilitate US–Iran talks to avert a regional war.
Sources said the three countries have been engaging both sides and coordinating their efforts. “It is moving. We are doing our best,” an official from one of the countries told Axios. A second US official confirmed that a meeting between the US and Iran could take place this week in Turkey.
Last week, Turkey offered to mediate, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the country is ready to facilitate dialogue between the US and Iran.
Egypt has also stepped up efforts, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty holding talks with both US and Iranian officials, urging de-escalation.
During a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated Tehran’s commitment to high-level coordination with Cairo to prevent further escalation.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met in Tehran with senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani to review efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Following a stark warning from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that any US attack would trigger a regional war, President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to seek to ease tensions, saying he hoped to reach a deal with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN on Sunday that Iran has “lost trust” in the United States as a negotiating partner, but said the exchange of messages through friendly countries in the region has enabled “fruitful” talks with Washington.
While declining to commit to direct negotiations, Araghchi stressed the need to focus on the “substance of negotiations” rather than their format.
The current standoff has revived comparisons with previous regional conflicts in which external intervention triggered prolonged instability.
Analysts warn that any major strike risks drawing multiple countries into a wider confrontation, undermining global energy markets, and destabilizing maritime routes around the Gulf.
As both Washington and Tehran weigh their next steps, regional governments continue to press for de-escalation and renewed channels of communication to avert a broader conflict.
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