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.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi backed Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran Islamabad Talks during a call with Shehbaz Sharif. She emphasised de-escalation and the urgent need to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan said it was still making a full diplomatic push to ease tensions between the United States and Iran after marathon talks in Islamabad ended without agreement, underscoring Islamabad’s bid to keep a fragile mediation effort from unravelling.
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.
Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir as “very extraordinary men” after being briefed on the marathon U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, placing Pakistan’s leadership at the centre of a major diplomatic moment.
Iranian's foreign ministry has said that Pakistan is now their only official intermediary with the United States, placing Islamabad at the centre of one of the the world's most sensitive diplomatic channels.
The Israeli military has said it confirmed the veracity of a viral photograph which appeared to show one of its soldiers smashing a statue of Jesus Christ to pieces with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.
Pakistan is moving to repay the last $1.5 billion of a UAE loan this week after already returning $2 billion, as officials look to an IMF board review expected next month to unlock fresh funding and steady market confidence.
Sohail Afridi, the Chief Minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has claimed that Imran Khan first proposed the peace talks now unfolding in Pakistan as far back as 2002, adding a new burst of controversy to the country’s already charged political landscape.
Donald Trump has long favoured high-profile diplomacy and may want to fly in himself if Pakistan offers the chance for a final deal or landmark announcement, meaning JD Vance would likely need to stay home in Washington or return from Islamabad first.