With US-Iran talks stalled, diplomatic efforts expand to unlikely European players
- US-Iran talks have stalled amid increasing tensions.
- The Trump administration is reaching out to European countries like Austria and Greece for potential diplomatic support.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the foreign minister of Austria and held a call with the foreign minister of Greece.
- Both European foreign ministers spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shortly after their discussions with Rubio.
- The situation is complicated by the control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping corridor.
Faced with an increasingly bellicose Iran as talks to end the war have stalled, the Trump administration appears to be reaching out to a broader swath of countries that might be able to help pressure Tehran or ease its hardline position where traditional mediators have not succeeded so far.
While discussions between Iran and Oman, as well as between Iran and Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar, persist at an uneven and unpredictable pace, the U.S. administration quietly has expanded its outreach to include perhaps unlikely interlocutors in Europe.
Just this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in person in Washington with the foreign minister of Austria on Tuesday and held a call with the foreign minister of Greece on Wednesday. Those interactions were not notable beyond the normal course of relations between the U.S. and two close European allies.
The entry by Austria and Greece is likely less of a formal mediation attempt, analysts say, and more reflective of a desperate push to halt the conflict because of the impact it has on an increasing number of countries, beyond those in the Middle East.
美国与伊朗谈判停滞，外交努力扩展至不太可能的欧洲参与者
面对愈发好战的伊朗，结束战争的谈判停滞不前，特朗普政府似乎正在寻求更广泛的国家，以帮助施压德黑兰或缓解其强硬立场，而传统的调解者尚未取得成功。
尽管伊朗与阿曼、巴基斯坦、土耳其和卡塔尔之间的讨论仍在以不均衡和不可预测的速度进行，但美国政府悄然扩大了其与欧洲不太可能的对话者的接触。
就在本周，国务卿马尔科·鲁比奥周二在华盛顿与奥地利外长进行了面对面的会晤，并在周三与希腊外长进行了电话交谈。这些互动在美国与这两个亲密欧洲盟国的正常关系中并不显著。
分析人士表示，奥地利和希腊的介入可能不是正式的调解尝试，而更反映了一种迫切希望停止冲突的努力，因为冲突对越来越多的国家产生了影响，超出了中东地区。