As President Donald Trump anticipated a potential meeting with Iran, he postponed a large-scale airstrike while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Iraq for a pilgrimage. During his trip, he continued phone conversations with mediating countries like Pakistan and Oman.
On August 3, CNN reported that Trump expressed pessimism over the lack of a scheduled meeting between the U.S. and Iran, which he had previously announced. In a post on social media platform Truth Social, he criticized the Iranian leadership as "incredibly duplicitous," stating, "They have requested talks to the point of being called 'begging,' yet publicly and proudly claim they are negotiating only with Oman and not with the U.S." Trump emphasized, "Nothing will happen unless there is a deal or complete surrender," reiterating that Iran will never obtain nuclear weapons.
Initially, Trump hinted during a meeting with reporters aboard Air Force One on August 2 that if an agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz was reached, there could also be a nuclear agreement, suggesting negotiations would begin on August 3. He indicated that further discussions with Iran were planned.
However, following these reports, Iran denied any negotiations, stating they were in talks with Oman to establish a temporary maritime route for vessels. According to Azerbaijan's Trend News Agency, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei announced at a press conference on August 3 that there would be no meeting between the U.S. and Iran, and that Araghchi was visiting Iraq to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, while the rest of the negotiation team remained in Iran.
During his visit to Iraq, Araghchi also held phone conversations with officials from Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan and Oman. According to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency, Araghchi spoke with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on August 3, discussing issues related to peace and regional development. He also discussed regional development with Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.
There are speculations that China may play a mediating role in easing tensions and facilitating negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. However, spokesman Baghaei dismissed this notion during the August 3 press conference, stating, "China is a close friend and shares concerns about regional conflicts and instability with Iran," but emphasized that Pakistan is the mediator for U.S.-Iran negotiations, with Qatar assisting if necessary. He described China's role as similar to that of other countries in providing support.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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