Pakistan Steps Up Efforts to Ease Iran-US Conflict

Pakistan is firmly committed to helping reduce the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday (September 24), he said Pakistan is playing the role of a sincere and neutral mediator between neighboring Iran and the United States.

Shehbaz Sharif is currently in New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He said Pakistan has not abandoned its efforts to promote peace. Instead, Islamabad remains determined to make further efforts to ease tensions and achieve progress.

The Pakistani prime minister said a memorandum of understanding, or MoU, had been signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, US President Donald Trump and himself. However, he said developments afterward made the situation somewhat uncertain.

“Pakistan is fully focused on this matter. We have not lost hope. We are determined to continue our efforts to ease the situation and make progress,” he said.

Since the outbreak of the Iran-US conflict, Pakistan has been working to create channels of communication and dialogue between the two sides. As part of those efforts, US and Iranian officials held lengthy discussions in Islamabad.

Later, with the cooperation of Pakistan and Qatar, the Islamabad MoU was signed on June 18. It provided a framework of 60 days and an opportunity for the two sides to engage in negotiations toward a long-term agreement. However, the process was disrupted after the two sides resumed attacks on each other.

Meanwhile, Iranian and US representatives held indirect talks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Pakistan is also continuing its diplomatic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

Asked whether further meetings would take place, Shehbaz Sharif described the process as “ongoing.” He also said friendly countries were continuing to play a role in efforts to establish peace.

While military tensions between Iran and the United States remain high, diplomatic contacts in New York and Pakistan’s mediation efforts have once again come into focus.

The key question now is whether Islamabad’s mediation efforts can bring the two sides back to direct negotiations—and whether such talks can make progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the conflict and establishing a long-term peace.

Ashik/M.