By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that Iran is willing to resume negotiating if Israel Israel ceases its military strikes, a message he conveyed after speaking directly with his Iranian counterpart as the military conflict between the two Middle Eastern nations intensified.
“Iran’s Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] told me that if Israel does not carry out another attack, they are prepared to return to the negotiating table,” Dar told the Senate floor. “We conveyed this message to other countries […] there is still time to stop Israel and bring Iran back to talks.”
Dar’s remarks came as the clash between Iran and Israel stretched into its fourth day, with no indication of a pause in hostilities. The conflict erupted late Friday when Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leadership. Iranian officials report that 224 people have been killed in the attacks, while Tel Aviv says at least 18 have died due to Iranian retaliation.
In his Senate address, Dar stressed Pakistan’s role in supporting diplomatic efforts to ease tensions. “Our intention was always to see successful negotiations between the United States and Iran,” he said.
He noted that he had been in regular contact with regional leaders, including the foreign ministers of Oman and Iran, throughout the crisis. “I spoke to Iran’s foreign minister both before and after the Israeli attack,” Dar added, underscoring Pakistan’s active engagement.
Dar also recounted that Iran’s foreign minister Araghchi had warned after the initial Israeli strike that “this act will be responded to,” a statement that foreshadowed Iran’s subsequent counterattacks.
Pakistan has vocally condemned Israel’s strikes and upheld Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, offering Tehran diplomatic backing on global stages.
The Senate session also debated Pakistan’s nuclear safety when opposition lawmaker Shibli Faraz pressed the government on the safety of nuclear assets, pointing to Israel’s recent strikes on Iran as a potential warning.
Faraz urged officials not to be complacent in protecting the country’s strategic assets.
Dar pushed back forcefully. “Israel dare not look to Pakistan,” he said. “By the grace of God, Pakistan has the strength to respond to a brick with a stone, to any mala fide [intentions].”
He reassured lawmakers that the nation’s armed forces were on high alert, drawing a comparison to their vigilance during a recent conflict with India. “I assure my brother the armed forces of Pakistan are fully alert. As they were alert during the India-Pakistan conflict.”
The deputy prime minister was referring to last month’s military flare-up between India and Pakistan, a four-day exchange of missiles, drone strikes, fighter jets, and artillery fire that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
Dar emphasised that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile defense systems, built at significant national expense, remained secure. “These are the nation’s assets, these are the nation’s trust. This is the trust for the coming generation,” he said. “It is our responsibility to safeguard it unitedly, which we will do, are doing, and will do it together.”
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