Pakistan is reportedly acting as an intermediary between the United States and Iran, joining a growing list of countries acting as go-betweens for the two countries. This comes as President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. and Iran had had "very good and productive conversations" and that discussions would continue throughout the week. This announcement contradicts his previous ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or destroy Iran's power plants. Senior Iranian officials denied that negotiations were taking place and accused Trump of trying to manipulate the financial and oil markets. Pakistan is one of at least three countries, along with Turkey and Egypt, acting as intermediaries between the U., Iran, and Iran.