May 1—A diplomatic mission undertaken on April 27 by the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abbas Araghchi to break the stalemate in negotiations to end the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, appears to have been rejected by the U.S. President Donald Trump, in remarks he made the day after Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prior to meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg, Araghchi met with diplomats in Pakistan and Oman, who have been intermediaries in the talks.

Araghchi presented a scaled-down proposal of steps to end the fighting: End the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and postpone talks to resolve the nuclear issue. This proposal appears to have the backing of Putin. Prior to their meeting, Putin said that Russia sees how “courageously and heroically the people of Iran are fighting for their independence and for their sovereignty.” He added that Moscow hoped that “guided by their new leader, the people of Iran will endure this challenging period of hardship…. We will do everything in your interests, in the interests of people of the region, so that peace gets achieved as soon as possible,” he said.