Trump and Erdogan Attempted to Organize a High-Level Officials Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to organize a meeting between high-level officials from the U.S. and Iran behind the scenes this week in Istanbul, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. This was reported by Axios.

The efforts of Trump and Erdogan were thwarted when it became impossible to establish contact with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who is in hiding due to fears of potential assassination.

Details of these secret efforts reveal the extent to which Trump was pressuring for direct talks with the Iranians, even suggesting that he would participate if necessary, in hopes of reaching a nuclear agreement and avoiding U.S. military intervention.