US President Joe Biden believes a Gaza ceasefire could be enough to convince Iran not to launch retaliatory air strikes against Israel, after the assassination of Hamas' top official in Tehran in late July.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has said it is at "peak readiness", with the community bracing for an attack any day.
President Biden was asked whether he expected Iran to shelve plans, if a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was agreed to after talks on Thursday.
"That's my expectation," he responded.
Earlier, Reuters cited three senior Iranian officials who said a ceasefire would be the only way to convince Iran to hold off.
It is a sign of just how precarious the situation in the Middle East currently is, with fears failed negotiations could fuel a broader regional war.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza, and talks have been scheduled for two days time.
Israel had committed to sending a delegation to the negotiations in Doha or Cairo, but Hamas has signalled it may skip the meeting.
The group wanted Israel to agree to a deal first presented in early July, which would have led to a phased ceasefire, hostage exchange and withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously rejected those terms, arguing the destruction of Hamas was a necessary precursor to any peace in Gaza.
Hamas has said fresh negotiations would only serve to delay a ceasefire, and allow Israel to continue its bombardment of the war ravaged Gaza Strip.
Iran and Hezbollah planning strikes after assassinations on home soil
Iran and Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are furious with Israel for two assassinations last month.
Senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut, around seven hours before Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in his guesthouse in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Israel has not taken responsibility for the Hamas assassination, but the international community has attributed the attack to it.
Small rockets and drones have been fired at semi regular intervals from Lebanon into Israel's northern reaches in recent days.
World leaders have been urging Iran not to escalate tensions in the region, with the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer among those who have spoken to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in recent days.
Those discussions may prove futile, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying his country would "harshly punish" Israel for the strike in Tehran which killed Haniyeh.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to travel to the Middle East, but there are now reports he has cancelled his trip over security concerns.
Soon after that emerged the Pentagon confirmed Mr Blinken had approved the sale of $US20 billion ($30 billion) in military equipment to Israel, including fighter jets and missiles.
Hamas said close to 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, after around 1,100 Israelis were killed during Hamas led attacks on October 7.
ABC
