WASHINGTON — It has been more than a week since President Donald Trump announced the U.S. was in conversation with Iran, but despite offers by Pakistan to host in-person discussions, no face-to-face meeting has been set and Iran denies negotiations are taking place.

The two sides have acknowledged exchanging messages through intermediaries, and the top diplomats of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt have held talks about possible talks. But it wasn’t clear whether anything has resulted from the discussions, as thousands more U.S. troops arrive in the Middle East and Trump threatens to attack Iranian energy infrastructure.

In other words, while progress may be playing out behind the scenes, there’s little public indication that the war is coming to a diplomatic end anytime soon.

Meanwhile, oil prices continue to spike, and so do gas prices in the U.S., an issue for Trump as the midterm elections draw nearer.

Trump said Monday on Truth Social that the U.S. was in serious discussions with a “new, and more reasonable, regime” to end the war in Iran, adding that “great progress has been made,” but he also threatened to attack key Iranian energy infrastructure if a deal wasn’t reached shortly.

Iran has said there are no negotiations.

“What has occurred is the submission of requests for negotiations, along with a set of proposals from the United States, which have reached us through intermediaries, including Pakistan,” Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry, said on X.

“Our position is very clear. At a time when US military aggression continues with intensity, all our efforts and capabilities are focused on defending Iran.”

Pakistan army chief Syed Asim Munir, whom Trump has referred to as his “favorite field marshal,” has become a key go-between for the U.S. and Iran, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sen. Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, have also worked on negotiations, according to a regional official and public statements.

The U.S. has proposed a 15-point plan, delivered to Iran via Pakistan. Trump said Sunday and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated Monday that Iran has agreed to at least some of those points, the full list of which hasn’t been publicly released.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff has offered a few details, among them that Iran can’t enrich uranium on its soil — a demand that has been a nonstarter for Tehran in past discussions. He also said that as part of the 15 points, Iran would have to give up its stockpile of 10,000 kilograms of fissile material and that the “oversight question” would also be solved. “All of these are red lines for us,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that U.S. demands included that the Iranian regime “can never have nuclear weapons, and they need to stop sponsoring terrorism, and they need to stop building weapons that can threaten their neighbors.”

Iran has repeatedly rejected the U.S. plan, including as recently as Monday, and has countered with its own five points, including a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations by the enemy,” the establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that war won’t be reimposed on Iran, war damages and reparations, and international recognition of Iran’s sovereign right to exercise authority over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway that carries over 20% of global oil.