DUBAI,— The United Arab Emirates called on Iran and the United States on Tuesday to strike a nuclear deal and defuse tensions, warning that the Middle East cannot afford another major conflict.

Officials in Tehran and Washington confirmed to Reuters that nuclear talks will resume on Friday in Turkey. The negotiations aim to revive diplomacy after months of confrontation.

U.S. President Donald Trump said large American warships are heading toward Iran and cautioned that dangerous outcomes are possible if talks collapse.

His remarks unsettled several regional governments.

The UAE, a leading Gulf power and close ally of the United States, said a durable agreement is needed rather than temporary measures.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president, said the region has already endured too much violence.

“We have seen too many destructive confrontations,” Gargash said. “Another war is not what this region needs. What we need is direct dialogue between Iran and the United States that leads to real understandings.”

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are scheduled to meet in Istanbul in an effort to restart negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and reduce fears of a broader war.

A regional diplomat told Reuters that officials from Saudi Arabia and Egypt are likely to attend.

The meeting comes after the United States deployed additional naval forces near Iran following a harsh crackdown on protests inside the country last month.

Trump earlier threatened military action but did not carry it out. Instead, he demanded sweeping concessions from Tehran and sent a fleet toward Iranian waters.

He later said Iran appeared willing to negotiate, while Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, said arrangements for talks were already in place.

Six current and former Iranian officials told Reuters that leaders in Tehran fear a U.S. strike could weaken their authority by fueling public unrest.

During closed-door discussions, senior officials told Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that anger over last month’s crackdown has reached a dangerous level. Four officials familiar with the talks said many Iranians are no longer intimidated by repression.

Reuters also reported that Trump set three requirements for restarting negotiations: an end to all uranium enrichment, restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, and a halt to Tehran’s backing of armed groups across the region.

Iran has consistently rejected these demands as violations of its independence. Still, two Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran views limits on missiles as a more serious problem than limits on uranium enrichment.

Iran’s regional position has weakened after Israeli attacks on groups linked to Tehran, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Iraq.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria further reduced Iran’s influence.

In June last year, U.S. forces struck Iranian nuclear facilities at the close of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran later said it stopped enriching uranium.

Recent satellite imagery suggests repair work is underway at two damaged nuclear sites, Isfahan and Natanz, with new roofing installed over two buildings that had been destroyed.

(With files from Reuters)

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