By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister said Thursday that the United States and Iran are engaged in indirect talks, with Islamabad relaying messages between the two sides as they seek to end the conflict that has roiled the Middle East for nearly a month.
In a post on X, Ishaq Dar dismissed media speculation about formal peace negotiations as “unnecessary,” stating flatly that “in reality, U.S.-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan.” The United States has shared a 15-point proposal that Iranian officials are now reviewing, he said, adding that “Brotherly countries of Türkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative”. He tagged Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy.
The statement came hours after Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, said Iranian negotiators were “begging” for a deal even though, in his words, they had been “militarily obliterated.” “They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty,” he wrote.
Dar’s confirmation followed Iranian officials’ acknowledgment a day earlier that Pakistan had passed along a U.S. proposal — understood to be the same 15-point plan. Details of the document, first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, call for Iran to abandon any effort to build nuclear weapons, sharply restrict the range and number of its ballistic missiles, end support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a freely navigable maritime corridor. In exchange, the proposal offers the lifting of all American sanctions and international help to develop Iran’s nuclear program for peaceful energy production only.
Iran’s initial reaction was dismissive. State-run Press TV reported Wednesday that Tehran had “responded negatively” to the proposal, citing a senior political-security official who said Iran would not allow Trump to dictate the timing of any ceasefire. The official listed five conditions for ending the war: a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations”; ironclad mechanisms to prevent the conflict from resuming; guaranteed payment of war damages and reparations; a comprehensive end to hostilities on all fronts involving regional resistance groups; and formal international recognition of Iran’s sovereign authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
Yet Reuters, quoting an unnamed senior Iranian official, said Tehran was still studying the proposal and had not delivered a final rejection. In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that the back-channel exchanges remained “productive” and that Iran was searching for an “exit ramp” as its military capacity eroded “literally, hour by hour.” The United States is “very close to meeting the core objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” she said, while cautioning that some media descriptions of the 15-point plan were not entirely accurate. “The White House never confirmed that full plan,” Leavitt added. “There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read are not entirely factual.”
The diplomatic maneuvering reflects Pakistan’s intensified efforts to position itself as a credible intermediary since joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets began late last month. Those strikes, which Washington said were launched after nuclear negotiations stalled, prompted Iranian retaliation against countries hosting US bases, attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. The Pentagon has since ordered thousands of additional troops to the region, on top of 2,500 Marines already en route. Trump had set a March 27 deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly signaled Islamabad’s willingness to host direct or indirect talks. On Tuesday he posted on X that Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to facilitate “meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement,” subject to agreement by both sides. He tagged Trump, Araghchi and Witkoff; Trump later amplified Sharif’s statement on Truth Social. Sharif reiterated the offer Wednesday, formally pitching Islamabad as a potential venue.
Pakistan’s diplomatic offensive continued Thursday. Sharif spoke by phone with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, exchanging Eid al-Fitr greetings and discussing joint efforts to end the hostilities. Sharif expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s support of Pakistan’s mediation role, while Ibrahim offered Kuala Lumpur’s full backing and briefed Sharif on his own conversations with other world leaders. Dar, meanwhile, held separate calls with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Jordan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, stressing the need for urgent de-escalation. Both conversations ended with pledges to remain in close contact.
Later in the day, Sharif met at the Prime Minister’s House with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong. With Dar and other senior officials present, Sharif highlighted Pakistan’s role in promoting regional stability and thanked Beijing for its economic support, particularly as the two countries prepare to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations and advance the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The ambassador praised Pakistan’s economic resilience and reaffirmed China’s commitment to trade and investment ties.
Pakistani officials have described their efforts — coordinated at times with Türkiye and Egypt — as going beyond routine crisis management. Earlier this week the three countries were credited with helping secure a brief pause in U.S. plans to strike additional Iranian energy and power infrastructure. “Pakistan remains fully committed to promoting peace and continues to make every effort to ensure stability in the region and beyond. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward,” Dar ended his X post with a succinct restatement of Pakistan’s stance.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
