Political

Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam praised Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan’s career diplomats for their role in facilitating, coordinating and preparing diplomatic talks.

Pakistan is working against a rapidly closing deadline to revive U.S.-Iran diplomacy before the current truce expires. But fresh escalations at sea, conflicting public messages and Iran’s refusal to negotiate under pressure are making Islamabad’s peacemaking effort far more difficult.

From calls with Tehran and Gulf capitals to ceasefire diplomacy and marathon talks in Islamabad, Pakistan has inserted itself into the most delicate phase of the U.S.-Iran crisis and emerged as an unlikely broker of dialogue.

The Islamabad Talks were never designed to deliver an instant grand bargain between Washington and Tehran. Their significance lies in something more foundational: they preserved the ceasefire, brought both sides face to face, defined the central sticking point and opened the door to a second phase of diplomacy.

The Guardian was entitled to publish Mahrang Baloch’s testimony. But readers should read it for what it is: a partisan account, sharply written and emotionally potent, not a settled version of events.