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Abbas Araghchi will communicate with ‘senior officers’ in Moscow, Iran’s International Ministry says.

Iran’s prime diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has left Islamabad for Moscow, the Iranian Ministry of International Affairs mentioned, as mediators hope to maintain the prospect of extra Tehran-Washington talks alive.

Araghchi sandwiched a visit to Muscat, Oman, in between visits to the Pakistani capital, leaving on Sunday to be in Russia the next day. However there was no indication that direct talks between Iran and america would resume.

Nonetheless, in an indication that oblique efforts had been ongoing, the Fars information company reported that Iran had transmitted “written messages” to the Individuals through mediator Pakistan, which had been “about among the purple traces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, together with nuclear points and the Strait of Hormuz”.

However the messages weren’t a part of any negotiations, Fars mentioned.

US President Donald Trump final week indefinitely prolonged the ceasefire that Washington and Tehran agreed to on April 7, which has largely halted the preventing that started with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

However a everlasting settlement stays elusive, and the financial shockwaves of the struggle proceed to reverberate across the globe.

Iran has successfully blocked the very important Strait of Hormuz, reducing off huge portions of oil, pure gasoline and fertiliser from the worldwide market, and sending costs hovering. The US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in response.

There had been hopes for a brand new spherical of talks on Saturday, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as a result of go to Islamabad, however Trump later informed Fox Information he had scrapped the journey, saying there was no level “sitting round speaking about nothing”.

On Sunday, Trump informed the identical channel: “I mentioned, we’re not doing this any extra. Now we have all of the playing cards. In the event that they wish to discuss, they will come to us, or they will name us. You already know, there’s a phone. Now we have good, safe traces”.

Requested earlier whether or not cancelling the journey meant a return to open hostilities, Trump mentioned: “No, it doesn’t imply that.”

Shuttle diplomacy

On Saturday, Araghchi met Pakistan’s navy chief, Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Minister of International Affairs Ishaq Dar, earlier than flying on to Muscat. He returned to Islamabad on Sunday.

In Russia, Iran’s International Ministry mentioned he would communicate with “senior officers”.

Russia’s Ministry of International Affairs confirmed that Araghchi would go to Moscow, however didn’t say if he would meet President Vladimir Putin.

Amid the flurry of conferences, Araghchi signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, saying he had “but to see if the US is actually critical about diplomacy”.