As tensions rise and fears of a military conflict between Iran and the United States grow, a range of countries, particularly Iran’s neighbors, are engaged in a hectic diplomatic campaign aimed at averting an all-out war.
We look at the various diplomatic efforts currently underway and whether they are successful in easing tensions.
What is going on between Iran and the US?
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to intervene militarily against Iran unless a deal is reached to curb Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities.
“A massive armada is heading towards Iran,” President Trump said in a post on his platform Truth Social. The U.S. warship fleet includes the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a post on X on Monday that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Middle East to “promote regional security and stability.”
The ship, one of the largest warships in the U.S. Navy, left its home port of San Diego, California, in November and was operating in the South China Sea until last week.
President Trump first threatened military intervention in Iran earlier this month amid protests against the country’s government. The protests began in late December 2025, citing the country’s deteriorating economic situation. They escalated into a broader challenge to the country’s clerical leadership, which has been in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He said Trump initially backed off his threat to attack Iran after receiving assurances that protesters would not be executed. But then he updated them.
Tehran said it would not negotiate under threat of attack and signaled it was ready to defend Iran.
“Iran’s current priority is not to negotiate with the United States, but to be 200 percent ready to protect our country,” Kazem Ghalibabadi, a senior member of Iran’s negotiating team, told Iranian state media on Wednesday.
He said the message was conveyed to the United States through an intermediary, but said Iran would continue to be fully prepared to defend itself even if conditions were suitable for negotiations. He pointed out that the United States launched attacks on nuclear facilities last June, just as negotiations with Israel to end the 12-day war were about to begin.
There were few casualties on the Israeli side during the conflict, but Iranian missiles breached Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome defense system, alarming Tel Aviv and Washington.
On Thursday, Iran’s military announced it had added 1,000 new “strategic” drones to its military, including unidirectional attack drones and combat, reconnaissance and cyber response systems designed to attack fixed and moving targets on land, air and sea.
“In proportion to the threats we face, the military’s challenges include maintaining and enhancing strategic advantages for swift combat and a decisive response to any aggression,” military commander Amir Hamati said in a brief statement.
At the same time, however, Iran is pursuing diplomatic channels to try to calm the situation.
What kind of diplomatic efforts are being made?
Tolkier
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Istanbul on Friday for high-level talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Announcing the meeting between Araghchi and Turkish leaders, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said the Iranian government aims to “constantly strengthen relations with neighboring countries based on common interests.”
The exact agenda of these talks has not been disclosed, but the talks took place amid President Trump’s threat of military intervention in Iran.
Araghchi’s meeting comes as similar talks continue between Iran’s leadership and representatives of other countries.
Pakistan
On Thursday, Araghchi spoke by phone with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
According to an Iranian government news release, Dar reiterated Islamabad’s stance on respecting national sovereignty, refusing to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and condemning “terrorism.”
On the same day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. In his X post, Sharif wrote that the two leaders reaffirmed their determination to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties.
egypt
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the country’s top diplomat, Badr Abdellatti, had held separate talks with Aragushi and U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff to “strive to achieve calm to avoid the region falling into a new cycle of instability.”
saudi arabia and gulf countries
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with Iranian President Pezeshikian, saying that Saudi Arabia “will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military action or attack by any force against Iran, regardless of its origin.”
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has similarly pledged not to allow attacks on Iran from U.S. territory or airspace.
India
On Wednesday, India’s Vice President for National Security Pawan Kapoor visited Tehran to meet with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani and International Affairs Secretary Ali Bagheri Kani.
Last week, India voted against a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution condemning Iran for its crackdown on protesters.
Twenty-five City Council members voted in favor of the resolution, and 14 abstained. Seven countries opposed it, including India, China, Vietnam and Cuba.
China
China also voted against the UNHRC resolution last week and expressed support for Iran at the United Nations this Wednesday.
“The use of force cannot solve problems. Any military adventure will only push the region into an unpredictable abyss,” Hu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said during a public debate on the Middle East. He called on all countries to abide by the United Nations Charter and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
“China hopes that the United States and other relevant countries will heed the calls of the international community and regional countries, take further actions that are conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East, and avoid exacerbating tensions and adding fuel to the fire,” he said.
Russia
Russia said Thursday there is room for negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “We continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint and renounce any use of force to resolve the issue. Obviously, the possibilities for negotiations have not been exhausted. We must primarily focus on the negotiation mechanism.”
“Any armed action would only bring chaos to the region and could have very dangerous consequences in terms of destabilizing the security system throughout the region.”
What about in the West?
Western leaders have largely focused this month on condemning Iran’s crackdown on protesters and refrained from making any major announcements about an impending war between Iran and the United States.
On January 25, French Armed Forces Minister Alice Ruffaut told local media that France wants to support the Iranian people, but that “military intervention is not the preferred option.”
She added: “It is up to the Iranian people to eliminate this regime.”
But this is perhaps the closest European countries have come to opposing President Trump’s military plans. Instead, the European Council adopted new sanctions against 15 Iranian individuals and six entities while Iranian authorities engaged in diplomatic cooperation with regional neighbors on Thursday.
The Security Council said in a statement that the restrictions were imposed in response to “serious human rights violations in Iran following a violent crackdown on peaceful protests, including the use of force, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators.”
The European Union has also designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.”
The United States, Canada, and Australia also designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization in 2019, 2024, and 2025, respectively.
“Regimes that kill thousands of their own citizens are working towards their own demise,” European Commission Vice-President Kaja Callas wrote in Thursday’s XPost.
On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault told X-Post: “France supports the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations.”
This marked a shift in policy from Paris, which had previously argued that legal and procedural obstacles prevented the EU from designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Iran’s leadership strongly criticized the EU’s decision.
“Aside from the blatant hypocrisy of selective outrage, Europe’s PR stunt of taking no action against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to ‘defend human rights’ in Iran is primarily an attempt to hide the fact that Europe is an actor in deep decline,” Araghchi wrote on social media.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian government’s “days are numbered” as President Trump reiterated his threat of military intervention in Iran.
“This is a regime that can only stay in power through pure violence and terror against its own people. Those days are over,” Merz said at a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Borojan.
“It may only be a matter of weeks, but this regime has no legitimacy to rule the country.”
Will diplomacy work?
Experts say diplomacy is likely to have a limited impact in easing military tensions between the United States and Iran.
Adnan Hayajineh, a professor of international relations at Qatar University, said calls for detente from regional actors are unlikely to have much of an impact on the U.S. decision on whether to attack Iran.
“[Trump] “He doesn’t really care about regional actors. At the end of the day, he listens to himself,” he said.
