President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secretly attempted to arrange a high-level meeting in Istanbul between U.S. and Iranian officials to prevent the escalation of Israel’s war with Iran and to explore a possible nuclear deal.

Axar.az reports that Erdogan offered to host the talks, and Trump even considered attending himself if it would help secure an agreement and avoid U.S. military action. Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff were ready to travel instead.

However, the effort failed because Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is in hiding for fear of Israeli assassination, could not be reached for approval. Without his sign-off, Iranian officials told the Turks they couldn’t proceed, and Turkiye informed the U.S. that the meeting was canceled.

Following this, Trump posted a warning on Truth Social, reiterating that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon and urging civilians to evacuate Tehran.

Now, the White House is reportedly losing confidence in a diplomatic solution and believes the U.S. may need to join the war to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. will enter the conflict.

Meanwhile, six U.S. B-2 stealth bombers have been deployed westward, likely preparing for possible strikes on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site — a target too deep for Israel’s current capabilities to destroy alone.

Erdogan continues to push for negotiations and has told Iran he’s ready to host direct talks with the U.S. if Iran agrees, but Iran insists there will be no dialogue while Israeli attacks continue.