Pakistan is trying to play a key role in easing tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Media reports indicate that Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir has reportedly spoken with US President Donald Trump about possible peace efforts.
According to UK-based Financial Times, Pakistan has even offered Islamabad as a place for talks between US and Iranian officials. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also met Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. The country is working with Turkey and Egypt through “active back-channel diplomacy” to reduce conflict and encourage dialogue between both sides, Pakistan's leading English daily, Dawn, reported on Monday.
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The Dawn report added that the peace effort also included US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. These developments come around the same time Trump has said he would delay threats against Iran after positive talks with Tehran. The White House did not share further details about these discussions.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media,” the White House said, according to FT.
The FT report added that Turkey is speaking with Iran and Witkoff to also seek a short ceasefire while the US-Iran war entered its fourth week. This comes as the Turkish foreign minister has already held talks with Pakistani counterpart Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Monday. Additionally, Egypt's foreign minister Badr Abdelatty also spoke with his Iranian and Pakistani counterparts on Sunday, as well as with Witkoff and Qatar's foreign minister. Meanwhile, Iran has denied direct US talks, but confirmed indirect mediation efforts.
“Over the past few days, messages were received via certain friendly states conveying the US request for negotiations to end the war,” the foreign ministry's spokesperson told official news agency IRNA.
“Appropriate responses were given (to those initiatives) in accordance with the country's fundamental positions.” The spokesperson insisted that there had been no changes to Iran's positions regarding the situation at the Strait of Hormuz or Tehran's conditions for ending the war, according to IRNA.
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Pakistan, which has the world's second-largest Shia population after Iran, has been able to play this unique role of a neutral mediator. This comes partly as its stance, including not hosting any US bases, has helped it avoid Iranian attacks and build trust with both sides, the FT report added.
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