Egypt, Turkey to India, Saudi Arabia: How countries opened US-Iran back channel

Egypt has emerged as a key back-channel mediator, establishing contact with Iran's IRGC and proposing a five-day pause in fighting to build momentum for a ceasefire, a move that appears to have nudged US President Donald Trump to drop his threat to strike Iran's power plants, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Egypt has reportedly emerged as a key player in back-channel diplomacy after quietly establishing contact with Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and proposing a five-day pause in the ongoing hostilities in the Gulf. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Egypt's intelligence officials were able to reach out to the IRGC to build momentum for a ceasefire, a move that appears to have prompted US President Donald Trump to reverse his threat to strike Iran’s power infrastructure and give diplomacy a chance.

With the war in the Middle East entering Week 4, a broad coalition of countries are now engaging in quiet diplomacy to bridge gaps between the US and Iran. Among the countries is India, which has played a limited but notable role in helping keep dialogue channels between the US and Iran open, according to a report by Bloomberg. The publication also reported that countries like Oman and Turkey are playing a mainstream role in mediating the US-Israel-Iran war.

The scale of coordination, emerging in the fourth week of the conflict, signals a more concerted push toward a negotiated de-escalation in the coming days.

The massive diplomatic reach-out coincided with a sharp shift in stance by Trump. Over the weekend, Trump had warned that the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power infrastructure if it failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. But as inputs from regional back channels reached Washington, he reversed course, announcing a five-day pause on strikes and signalling openness to talks.

The dramatic development followed an intense behind-the-scenes engagement. Before dawn on Thursday, foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Riyadh to explore a diplomatic off-ramp. Talks were complicated by the absence of a clear Iranian interlocutor after Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike last week, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Egyptian intelligence officials eventually established contact with the IRGC, proposing a five-day halt in hostilities to build momentum toward a ceasefire. These initial contacts laid the groundwork for developments thousands of miles away in Florida.