Pakistan is looking into ways to resume the stalled negotiations between the United States and Iran to end their nearly five-month-old conflict after China started the push, news agency Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources.
Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Islamabad this week for the second time in 10 days, and during his visit, exploratory talks took place, the report said.
According to recent statements from the Pakistani government, Momeni, who is thought to be connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, met this week with Asim Munir, the head of the country's army.
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As a possible future mediator, Pakistan has found itself in an increasingly complex situation. Saudi Arabia, a key friend of Islamabad that inked a mutual defence treaty with Pakistan last year, was the target of a naval blockade announced earlier this week by the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
Islamabad has strongly denounced the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan is financially dependent on Saudi Arabia.
However, Islamabad is equally reliant on Beijing, which has been a major financial supporter of Islamabad and has a stake in finding a diplomatic way to reopen important trade channels in the Middle East.
According to the report, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's foreign minister, visited China last week and spoke with Chinese officials about the new Middle East initiative. They were not permitted to publicly discuss the matter, so they talked under the condition of anonymity.
"The Chinese are unhappy because Iran's attacks on other Gulf states and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are hitting their interests," a Pakistani government official was quoted as saying. Another important commercial route that Beijing depends on might be affected by disruptions in the Red Sea.
China's foreign ministry said in a statement that "China supports the mediation efforts made by Pakistan and other parties."
China would continue to "play an active role in restoring peace and tranquillity in the Middle East Gulf region as soon as possible," the statement continued.
Despite international sanctions against Tehran, Beijing is Iran's biggest commercial partner and the main consumer of its exported crude oil, taking advantage of a significant discount on the energy source.
Even while China hasn't directly given Iran military assistance since the start of the conflict, China has boosted its support for Iran's security over time through dual-use parts, semiconductor equipment, and satellite navigation systems.
Beijing has continuously supported Pakistan's efforts to mediate disputes, and in March it sent a special envoy to conduct a shuttle diplomacy tour of the Middle East.
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