Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country was very happy that both the US and Iran had agreed to peace talks facilitated by Pakistan in the coming days. Dar stated that Pakistan will facilitate meaningful talks between the US and Iran for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East, and that Pakistan is engaged with the US leadership in efforts to deescalate the situation and find a solution to the conflict. However, neither the US nor Iran has confirmed Pakistan's role as a potential mediator, according to multiple reports.
Regional diplomatic efforts have intensified, with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey meeting in Islamabad on Sunday to discuss a ceasefire in Iran and a new order to curb Israeli and Iranian dominance after the war. This group of four will act as a primary interlocutor with Iran, keeping indirect negotiating channels open between Tehran and the US, according to sources. Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt are working to get the US and Iran to the negotiating table, aiming to bridge the gap between American and Iranian demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, multiple reports indicate.
Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate their talks.
Conflicting signals have emerged about Iran's willingness to engage in talks. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that Iran has never refused to go to Islamabad for talks. Yet attempts to initiate talks to end the Iran war, led by Pakistan, have reached a dead end, with Iran officially informing Pakistani mediators that it is unwilling to meet US envoys in Islamabad, according to multiple reports.
Key parties have not confirmed Pakistan's mediation claims, and diplomatic context includes high-level discussions. Neither the US nor Iran has confirmed Pakistan's role as a potential mediator, according to multiple reports. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held extensive discussions about the war with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of the meetings, sources said.
Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan's facilitation.
Iran has laid out specific demands and rejected US proposals. Iran considers US demands unacceptable, according to multiple reports. Iran is demanding that the US make several promises, including economic compensation, withdrawal from bases in the Middle East, and guarantees not to attack Iran again, sources indicate. Pakistani negotiators have sent messages between Iran and the US, including a US 15-point peace plan that Iran has rejected, according to reports.
Confidence-building measures have been discussed, including maritime access developments. Iran agreed to allow vessels operating under the Pakistani flag to go through the Strait of Hormuz, possibly two a day, as a confidence-building measure, according to reports.
Iran has never refused to go to Islamabad.
Alternative diplomatic channels are being explored, with potential new venues for talks. Turkey and Egypt are trying to arrange new talks, with possible locations including Doha and Istanbul, according to multiple reports.
Pakistan has extended its outreach to China, briefing Beijing on the crisis. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew to China after Sunday's meeting to brief Beijing on the crisis, according to reports.
What we care about are the conditions for a final and lasting end to the illegal war that is being forced upon us.
The conflict originated from a US-Israel attack on Iran while nuclear negotiations were ongoing. The US and Israel launched an attack war against Iran on February 28, while negotiations between Iran and the US on a new nuclear deal were ongoing, according to reports. When the US attacked, negotiators were very close to an agreement, thanks to a breakthrough where Iran had made major concessions, sources indicate.
Key unknowns persist about formal agreements and specific demands. Whether the US and Iran have formally agreed to participate in talks facilitated by Pakistan has not been confirmed. The specific demands and conditions from both the US and Iran for ending the war remain unclear, with only partial details emerging from reports.
Uncertainties also surround China's role and Iran's motivations in the crisis. The role and stance of China in the crisis, given Pakistan's briefing to Beijing, are not yet clear, as Beijing has not publicly commented on the mediation efforts. Iran's motivations for its reported unwillingness to meet US envoys in Islamabad, despite earlier statements, are ambiguous, possibly reflecting internal divisions or strategic calculations.
Future prospects and timelines for potential negotiations are highly uncertain. The timeline and location for any potential future talks between the US and Iran remain undetermined, with conflicting reports on whether progress is imminent or stalled.