Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Saturday called for the resumption of US-Iran negotiations and renewed mediation efforts after fresh military exchanges in the Gulf threatened a Pakistan-brokered roadmap aimed at securing a lasting agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Diplomatic call between foreign ministers
The appeal came during a telephone conversation between Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan, days after the United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iran and Tehran retaliated by targeting US interests across the Middle East. The latest escalation has put the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed last month to guide the US and Iran toward a final agreement within 60 days, under renewed strain.
“His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received a phone call from His Excellency Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “During the call, they discussed the latest developments in light of the escalation in the region,” it added. “They also underscored the importance of supporting mediation efforts, resuming US-Iran talks, containing tensions, and exerting all necessary efforts to reach comprehensive and peaceful solutions that promote regional and international security and stability.”
Deep concern over renewed conflict
Pakistan’s foreign ministry also said in a statement the two ministers expressed “deep concern over the escalations despite the signing of the Islamabad MoU” and agreed the renewed conflict served no one’s interests and undermined efforts toward regional peace and stability. The statement added the Saudi foreign minister shared the Kingdom’s perspective on ongoing diplomatic efforts, while Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and allow mediation efforts the time and space needed to achieve a peaceful outcome.
The renewed diplomatic push comes as regional mediators scramble to salvage negotiations that had sought to end months of conflict between the US and Iran. Qatar has dispatched a delegation to Tehran, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman, another key country in the region, for talks focused on the Strait of Hormuz, according to AFP. The strategic waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes, has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to a final US-Iran agreement after Iran closed it to commercial shipping during the war and later announced plans to charge transit fees.
Strait of Hormuz tensions
Washington insists Hormuz is an international waterway and has reportedly given Tehran until Saturday to stop firing on commercial vessels and acknowledge the passage is open. The latest exchange of strikes began after Iran was accused of targeting three commercial ships that it said had deviated from approved routes, prompting US strikes on around 90 targets in Iran and triggering Iranian reprisals against US-allied Gulf states hosting American military bases.
