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. Meanw