By Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi and John Irish

DUBAI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States are sliding rapidly towards military conflict as hopes fade for a diplomatic solution to their standoff over Tehran’s nuclear programme, officials on both sides and diplomats across the Gulf and Europe say.

Iran’s Gulf neighbours and its enemy Israel now consider a conflict to be more likely than a settlement, these sources say, with Washington building up one of its biggest military deployments in the region since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress could vote as soon as next week on whether to block President Donald Trump's ability to strike Iran without lawmakers' approval, as the U.S. military prepares for a potential serious conflict with Iran if diplomatic efforts fail.

Members of Congress, including a few of Trump's fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, have tried - and failed - repeatedly to pass resolutions that would bar Trump from military action against foreign governments without lawmakers' approval.

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, further boosting American firepower in a region that has seen a massive military buildup ahead of potential strikes against Iran.

Below, AFP examines key US military assets deployed in or near the Middle East.

- Ships -

Washington currently has 13 warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier -- the USS Abraham Lincoln -- nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships, a US official said.

By Karolos Grohmann

MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday she was unaware of world soccer body (FIFA) chief Gianni Infantino's presence at the first meeting of The Board of Peace along with U.S. President Donald Trump, and said she would look into the matter.

Infantino, who is also an IOC member, took part in the meeting of The Board of Peace, established under Trump with a focus on Gaza's reconstruction fund, and aimed at rebuilding the territory once Hamas disarms.

US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval buildup in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran to cut a deal to curb its nuclear programme.

The latest threat came after Iran's foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days following negotiations between the two sides in Geneva earlier this week.

Trump had suggesting on Thursday that "bad things" would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, which he subsequently extended to 15.

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. military planning on Iran has reached an advanced stage with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and even pursuing regime change in Tehran, if ordered by President Donald Trump, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - WU.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering a limited military strike on Iran but gave no other details.

Asked if he was considering a limited strike to pressure Iran into a deal on its nuclear program, he told reporters at the White House, “I guess I can say I am considering" it.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Bo Erickson and Katharine Jackson; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

When he sat down to write the first "Scream" film which appeared in cinemas exactly 30 years ago, horror movies were out of fashion and aspiring Hollywood creative Kevin Williamson had low expectations.

"I never thought it would be a hit actually. I was just trying to get a job. I was just trying to write a script to get noticed by Hollywood so that I get hired to write another movie," he told AFP.

"And I just wrote what I love: I love horror films," he added.

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States did not seek zero uranium enrichment during nuclear talks in Geneva this week while Iran did not offer to suspend uranium enrichment, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday.

"We have not offered any suspension and the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment," he said in an interview on MS NOW.

"What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever," he said.

Saudi Arabia will help Turkey build solar plants capable of powering more than two million homes, under a deal the two countries signed Friday that aims to deepen energy cooperation between the key regional players.

The signing ceremony at an Ottoman-era palace by the waters of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul followed a $2-billion inter-governmental energy agreement between the two countries during a landmark visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Riyadh on February 3.