Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the United States and Iran, hosting historic face-to-face talks last month that failed to yield a lasting agreement.
Its army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian media reported.
China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings with officials of affected Gulf countries.
After high-profile talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, Trump told Fox News the Chinese leader had offered Beijing’s help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a key oil route largely blocked since the war erupted.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Islamabad this month to “step up mediation efforts” in the Middle East, speaking to his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in a call.
In the past two weeks, Beijing has hosted visits from Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
