US Enlists Austria, Greece in Iran Push as 20% of Global Oil Stays Choked

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 14

Austria and Greece moved into the Iran file this week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Austria’s foreign minister Tuesday and called Greece’s on Wednesday; both then spoke with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi on Thursday.
The outreach reflects a scramble to break stalled US-Iran talks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes and whose disruption has widened the war’s economic fallout.
Washington denied asking either country to carry messages, though the State Department acknowledged Iran came up in Rubio’s talks and a European diplomat said the timing of the follow-up calls was no accident.
Austria’s role is tied to Vienna’s IAEA base and its history hosting the 2015 nuclear talks, while Greece’s shipping interests make freedom of navigation through Hormuz and the Red Sea a direct concern.
Analysts said the two countries are more likely urging both sides back toward negotiations than acting as formal mediators, as Trump faces pressure to restore cheap energy flows before November’s midterm elections.