Trump skips Pakistan while listing mediators pushing to end US-Iran war

US President Donald Trump has left Pakistan out of a list of countries he said were backing talks to end the US-Iran war, a day after Tehran described Islamabad as the main mediator between the two warring nations.

“We are talking right now. We’re talking, and we’re talking at the request of Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, backed by Qatar in particular,” Trump said.

He added that leaders of several countries had called him and urged him to give Tehran one final opportunity to reach an agreement.

“They said, ‘Why don’t you give this last chance?’…This is the last chance for them to sign,” Trump said.

Not only did Trump’s remarks contradict Iran’s insistence that no negotiations were currently under way, but the US President also made no mention of Pakistan, which had been mediating since March this year.

Tehran on Monday asserted Pakistan as the principal mediator on matters concerning the war between Iran and the US.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said China was helping prevent the conflict from escalating but maintained that there was “no new mediator in the talks”.“Pakistan is a mediator in issues related to Iran and the US. Qatar also helps in cases where necessary,” Baghaei said.