Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan has offered to host crucial talks between the US and Iran.
IMAGE: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir meets US President Donald Trump at the White House. Photograph: White House
Key Points
- Pakistan offers to host talks between the US and Iran to facilitate a comprehensive settlement to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
- US President Donald Trump reposted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement, sparking fresh diplomatic speculation.
- Sharif expressed Pakistan’s readiness and honour to support meaningful and conclusive negotiations.
- Pakistan urges against speculation and awaits official announcements regarding the venue for US-Iran talks.
- Reports suggest Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke to US President Donald Trump about a mediation role.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Islamabad was ‘ready and honoured’ to facilitate ‘meaningful and conclusive talks’ between the United States and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.
The announcement came following media reports about backdoor efforts by Pakistan along with Egypt and Turkiye to broker peace in West Asia.
‘Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,’ Sharif said in a post on X.
‘Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,’ he added.
Hours later, US President Donald Trump shared Sharif’s post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump’s decision to share the post has been interpreted by observers as a possible signal of backchannel diplomacy.
The White House, however, has struck a cautious note.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the situation as ‘sensitive’ and ‘fluid’, cautioning against treating unconfirmed reports as final.
Pakistan’s Role as a Potential Mediator
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) responding to media queries urged to avoid speculation and await official announcements about the venue for talks between the US and Iranian representatives.
“Pakistan, consistent with its longstanding policy, remains committed to the resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Persian Gulf through diplomatic means and engagements,” FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
“Diplomacy and negotiations often require that certain matters be advanced with discretion. The media is therefore encouraged to refrain from speculation and to await official announcements regarding decisions and outcomes,” he said.
Various international media outlets reported about Islamabad being the possible venue of talks as the war entered its fourth week.
According to the British daily Financial Times, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke to US President Donald Trump on Sunday seeking a mediation role between the US and Iran.
ISI reportedly involved in mediation efforts
On Monday, Trump had announced on his social media platform that the US would hold off on threatened strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, saying Washington had held ‘very good and productive conversations with Tehran’ over the previous couple of days.
Trump refused to name the Iranian leader the US is in talks with, asserting that the interlocutor was a ‘top person’ who is ‘most respected’ in that country.
CNN reported that the US sent Iran a list of 15 demands outlining its expectations through Pakistan.
‘Pakistan’s spy agency (ISI) chief, Lieutenant General Asim Malik, is among the officials in contact with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner,’ it said citing a source.
‘Pakistan has been acting as a go-between for some time, delivering US messages to Tehran and back, but its diplomatic outreach has intensified in recent days as the conflict edged closer to a major escalation over energy infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz,’ the Dawn newspaper reported citing an official source.
Pakistan maintains close ties with both Iran and the Trump administration.
Munir met Trump in June and September last year. During the September visit, Sharif was also present alongside him.
Pak PM speaks to Iranian President
Meanwhile, Sharif on Monday in a telephonic conversation with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed the urgent need for collective efforts for de-escalation in West Asia.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that Sharif conveyed his ‘serious concern’ to Pezeshkian over the ‘dangerous ongoing hostilities in the Gulf region’.
Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The joint strikes came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.
Iran’s retaliation escalated the war to the entire Gulf region.
— With inputs from ANI
