By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Parisa Hafezi ISTANBUL/ DUBAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is working hard to prevent U.S.-Iran tensions from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict,

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has vowed to unleash a regional war if America launches air strikes. Initially few in the Middle East seemed eager for further conflict. The region’s power-brokers tried to dissuade America from military action. But attitudes now look more mixed.

Turkey will offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran when Iran's foreign minister visits Friday, officials said, as Ankara mulls reinforcing security along its border should the dispute escalate.

ANKARA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday urged the U.S. to resolve its disputes with Iran "one by one" instead of through a sweeping deal, saying this would avoid humiliating Iranian officials,

The U.S. and Iran will meet later this week in Turkey to discuss Iran's nuclear program. The negotiations come after President Trump weighed military strikes on Iran.

Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the idea of holding talks between the United States and Iran in Istanbul, insisting that dialogue with Washington is possible solely on nuclear issues and only in the format of continuing earlier consultations in Oman.

Tehran’s diplomatic and military provocations on display this week point to fraught negotiations ahead.

Pakistan has been invited to participate in talks between Iran and the United States aimed at reducing tensions, the Foreign Office confirmed. The meeting is set for February 6 in Turkey, with Islamabad expected to play a facilitative role in the renewed diplomatic effort.