Iran, US express confidence in Pakistan: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan says it is prepared to host direct negotiations between Iran and the US to end the Middle East conflict, noting that both powers have voiced full support in Islamabad’s potential as a neutral intermediary. The Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt have also strongly supported Pakistan’s initiative for hosting and facilitating direct talks between the United Stated (US) and Iran to bring permanent peace in the region. The Foreign Ministers reaffirmed unity to contain the situation, reduce the risk of military escalations and create conditions for structured negotiations between relevant parties. Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict. At the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; the Foreign Minister of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan; and the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Dr Badr Abdelatty, visited Islamabad to attend 2nd consultative quadrilateral meeting held here on Sunday. READ ALSO: Iran thanks Pakistan for historic support at UNHRC The Foreign Ministers advocated dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable pathway to prevent conflicts and to promote regional peace and harmony. We called for upholding principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. Deputy Prime Minister /Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar announced the decisions at the Conclusion of 2nd meeting of four foreign ministers. “The Foreign Ministers held a very detailed and in-depth discussion on the current regional situation. We also discussed the possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region,” he further said. The Foreign Ministers have also discussed ways and means to further strengthen mutual cooperation among the four brotherly countries. In this regard, they decided to constitute a committee of four senior officials from the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs to work out the modalities through mutual understanding and consensus. The Foreign ministers expressed concerns that the on-going conflict is extremely unfortunate for its devastating impact on lives and livelihood across the wider region. DPM/FM Dar highlighted, “We agreed that this war is not in favour of anyone and would only lead to death and destruction. The unity of Muslim Ummah in these challenging times is of utmost importance. Pakistani DOM/FM briefed the visiting Foreign Ministers on the prospects of potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad. The visiting Foreign Ministers expressed their full support to the initiative. Pakistan has remained actively involved in all efforts and initiative aimed at bringing this conflict to an end, Dar further stated. “Pakistan also has a very important relationship with the United States. We have remained actively engaged with the US leadership as well, as part of our efforts to de-escalate the situation and finding a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he remarked. Let me also share with you that I had a detailed telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China fully supports Pakistan’s initiative to host Iran-US talk, he said. Similarly, Dar informed, “I had a telephonic conversation with the Secretary General of the United Nations. The Secretary General has expressed his full support for the peace initiative by Pakistan”. Therefore, there is a strong appreciation and support among all our friends for the efforts being made by Pakistan. We will continue our efforts with sincerity and commitment. AFP adds: Pakistan said that it was ready to broker and host “meaningful talks” between the United States and Iran to bring an end to their war, outlining growing support for its peace efforts, including from the United Nations and China. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar hosted his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey for several hours in the capital, with concern high about the impact of the fighting, including the choking of maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. In a televised statement, Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, said the visitors “expressed their full support” for potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad. “The foreign ministers advocated dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable pathway to prevent conflicts and to promote regional peace and harmony,” he added. Dar and Sharif have held several calls with senior government ministers in Iran, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and were “actively engaged” with the US administration, the foreign minister said. “In this context, Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks,” he added. “Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.” Dar has spoken to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. They “fully support” Pakistan’s push for peace, as do other governments around the world, he added. All three visiting ministers — Badr Abdelatty from Egypt, Hakan Fidan from Turkey, and Saudi Arabia’s Faisal bin Farhan — also met Sharif as well as Munir. But Shuja Nawaz, founder director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, said Pakistan had taken on a “challenging task” in trying to get Washington and Tehran to the table. “It could only do this with Saudi blessing,” Nawaz, author of “The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood”, told AFP. “The real challenge for Pakistan is to bring together a single person in the White House who changes his mind frequently and an Iranian government that is debating whether to fight a long war or find an end to its economy being further devastated. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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