US turns to Austria and Greece as new intermediaries in stalled Iran talks

The Trump administration has quietly expanded its diplomatic outreach on the US-Iran conflict to include Austria and Greece, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Austria's foreign minister in person in Washington on Tuesday and speaking by phone with Greece's foreign minister on Wednesday, after which both European ministers spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday.

The sequencing of the contacts — Rubio first, then Araghchi — emerged after the State Department issued readouts of the Rubio meetings that were described in the source as bland and vague and made no mention of Iran as a topic.

Existing diplomatic channels, including discussions between Iran and Oman and separate contacts involving Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar, have continued at what the source describes as an uneven and unpredictable pace without producing a breakthrough.

The broadened outreach comes as the US and Iran are both seeking control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping corridor, and as the economic consequences of the conflict and dwindling US weapons stockpiles are creating political pressure for Republicans ahead of November's midterm congressional elections.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said the involvement of countries such as Austria and Greece likely reflects the widening impact of the conflict rather than a formal mediation structure.

• The source does not state what, if anything, Rubio asked the Austrian and Greek foreign ministers to convey to Iran.
• The source does not state what the Austrian and Greek foreign ministers discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi.
• The source does not identify the Austrian or Greek foreign ministers by name.
• The source does not state whether the US administration confirmed or acknowledged the sequenced contacts with Iran.
• The source does not specify the nature or current status of the conflict referred to as 'the war' involving the US and Iran.
• The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.

1. Associated Press — original

Read the original at Associated Press

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