By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif informed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday of Pakistan’s active diplomatic campaign to arrange indirect peace talks between Washington and Tehran, according to a detailed official account of a telephone conversation that lasted more than an hour.
The call placed Pakistan at the forefront of a coordinated regional mediation effort involving Turkey and Egypt, as the two leaders reviewed the escalating hostilities across the Middle East and weighed steps toward de-escalation. Sharif, who has personally led the outreach along with senior civilian and military officials, described the initiative as an attempt to build international support for negotiations and create conditions for a lasting halt to the fighting.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said the conversation between Sharif and Pezeshkian focused on “the ongoing hostilities in the region and peace efforts.” Sharif briefed the Iranian president on diplomatic contacts undertaken by himself, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Field Marshal Asim Munir — Pakistan’s chief of army staff and chief of defence forces — with the United States, Gulf states and other Islamic countries.
Those discussions, Sharif told Pezeshkian, were aimed at “creating a conducive environment for peace talks.” He reported “strong endorsement” of Pakistan’s initiative and expressed hope that the collective involvement of regional and international actors could produce “a viable path towards ending hostilities,” the statement said.
Sharif also used the call to restate Pakistan’s firm condemnation of continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including strikes on civilian infrastructure carried out the previous day. He reaffirmed Islamabad’s solidarity with “the brave people of Iran in these challenging times” and offered condolences over the loss of more than 1,900 lives. Sharif prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and for relief for those displaced by the violence.
Pezeshkian, according to the statement, welcomed Sharif’s diplomatic initiative and outlined Iran’s perspective on the conflict, which Tehran attributes to Israeli actions. The Iranian president emphasised the importance of building trust as a prerequisite for any successful mediation and specifically praised Pakistan’s supportive role in the process. Sharif thanked Pezeshkian for the exchange and assured him that Pakistan would remain actively engaged in efforts to promote peace and stability across the region.
The Iranian side offered a parallel assessment. According to a statement from the Iranian presidency reported by Agence France-Presse, Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts aimed at halting what Tehran described as U.S. and Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic.
The Saturday call came as Pakistan prepares to convene a high-level regional meeting. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday for two days of discussions that will include the situation in Iran and broader efforts to reduce tensions. The mediation push gained public momentum earlier in the week. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Dar confirmed that indirect contacts between the United States and Iran are already taking place, with Pakistan serving as the messenger. He said a 15-point framework drafted by the United States had been conveyed to Tehran and was under active consideration by Iranian officials. Dar described Turkey and Egypt as “brotherly countries” that are supporting the initiative.
Pakistani officials have portrayed the effort as a rare opportunity for Islamabad to exercise influence in a major international crisis, leveraging its relationships across the Islamic world and its long-standing ties to both Washington and Tehran. The government has cast the initiative as strictly facilitative, aimed at opening channels rather than imposing outcomes.
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