Islamabad: Pakistan appears to be positioning itself as a potential peacebroker in the US‑Israel‑Iran war, after army chief General Asim Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump, and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif separately held a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Pakistan’s prime minister said on Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the US and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan welcomed and fully supported ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war.
“Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honored to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement,” he said.
The contacts come as Trump announced a five‑day suspension of his threat to strike Iranian power plants, following what he described as “very good and productive” talks with Tehran, though the White House insists no formal negotiations are underway.
Officials say Pakistan has offered Islamabad as a possible venue for talks between senior US figures—including Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—and Iranian representatives.
Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson acknowledged receiving US peace overtures via “friendly states,” but stressed that Tehran’s core conditions on the Strait of Hormuz and its wider war posture remain unchanged.
If talks happen, it could raise Pakistan’s global prominence to heights not reached since Pakistan helped mediate the secret diplomatic opening that led to US President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.
It would cap over a year of relationship building with Trump that has involved astute diplomacy and crypto deals.
Pakistan, which maintains direct contact with both Washington and Tehran at a time when such channels are frozen for most other countries, would also benefit directly from an end to the war.
The South Asian nation is home to the world’s second-largest Shiite Muslim population after Iran, and faced nationwide protests the day after US and Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict on February 28.
Pakistan has been involved in diplomacy to end the Iran conflict since it started, including shuttling at least half a dozen messages between the US and Iran, according to five official Pakistani sources.
“Pakistan hosting US-Iran talks represents a major upgrade in Islamabad’s strategic standing,” Kamran Bokhari, senior resident fellow with the Middle East Policy Council in Washington, told Reuters.
“After decades of being a troubled state, Pakistan appears to be re-emerging as a major American ally in West Asia,” he said.
Bokhari said Pakistan was Iran’s least adversarial neighbor while maintaining “the closest ties with its historic regional adversary Saudi Arabia and (being) trusted by Washington.”
Iran may perceive it as more neutral than other possible mediators. “Unlike Gulf states like Qatar, Pakistan does not host US military bases and is a military power in its own right.”
Islamabad’s mutual defense agreement with Riyadh, signed in September, requires both countries to come to the other’s aid and has therefore weighed on calculations.
As the US war in Iran entered its second week and Tehran struck Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar said he had reminded Iran of the pact and was attempting to mediate with Iran.
Security sources in Pakistan said Islamabad was bound by the pact but was working to avoid entering the conflict through its backchannel talks with Tehran.
