Behind closed doors, regional powers are working frantically to prevent the collapse of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations even as President Trump ordered airstrikes and declared a key agreement dead.
Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia launched a coordinated diplomatic blitz on Wednesday, with officials conducting multiple calls to both American and Iranian counterparts in an attempt to defuse the escalating crisis.
The push comes despite Trump's explicit statement that the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and ceasefire are finished. Yet behind Trump's hardline public posture lies a more nuanced calculus: the administration remains focused on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and stopping short of all-out war with Iran.
Mediators believe earlier negotiating rounds had yielded genuine progress on a nuclear deal and that the current crisis, however severe, need not derail those gains. According to sources involved in the mediation, some regional officials suspect the Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz were orchestrated by hardline factions within Iran's government that oppose the deal and are trying to sabotage it.
By Thursday, the temperature had dropped noticeably. After two days of tit-for-tat strikes, no new U.S. military operations were reported. A U.S. official attributed the shift directly to de-escalation efforts underway through back channels.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled his country's grievance to Pakistani military leadership, telling Field Marshal Asim Munir that American airstrikes and rhetoric violated the terms of the accord.
One regional diplomat involved in the talks described the mediators' strategy plainly: "There are extensive diplomatic efforts to first agree with both sides on de-escalation and then set a date for another round of negotiations between the technical teams."
The Trump administration struck a different tone after the president met Thursday afternoon with his national security team. While one official reiterated that Trump's criticism of Iranian attacks was unambiguous, saying they constitute acts of terrorism that amount to failed performance under the agreement, the administration signaled continued commitment to finding a resolution. Technical-level talks are continuing, the official said.
The dynamic reveals the tension at the heart of Trump's approach: strong rhetoric aimed at domestic audiences and regional allies, paired with a strategic interest in preventing full escalation. The mediators appear to be banking on the gap between Trump's words and his actual willingness to pursue a negotiated outcome.
Author James Rodriguez: "The real test will be whether these behind-the-scenes efforts can rebuild enough trust to get both sides back to the table."
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