U.S.-Led Conference Aims To Build Coalition Against Iran 

The U.S. has convened a conference in Warsaw focused on building a coalition to oppose Iran, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). 

Representatives from 60 countries arrived in Poland on Wednesday for the summit, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced last month, reported Reuters. 

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to give keynote remarks on Thursday, reported Radio Poland. 

President Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner is expected to present details of a peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians. 

The talks are intended to cover Iran's role in the Middle East, ways to press Tehran to be a more positive force in the region and collectively push back against some of its negative activities, said a senior U.S. official.

The French and German foreign ministers, as well as E.U. foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini, declined to attend. Mogherini is scheduled to meet with Pompeo on Friday.

Iran's chief regional allies, including Lebanon and Russia, have also decided against sending representatives to the meeting. 

The move comes as Washington seeks to coordinate a harder line against Iran. The summit could also allow Gulf nations and Israel to coordinate efforts, since those countries do not have diplomatic relations.

After the U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, European nations sought to salvage the agreement. In January, the European Union announced that it was setting up a mechanism to allow trade with Iran without violating U.S. sanctions. 

The E.U. has taken a harder line in recent weeks following attempted assassination attempts against Iranian dissidents in Europe.