Islamabad has stepped into the middle of a very tense situation. Pakistan delivered a proposal from the United States to Iran, and now either Pakistan or Turkiye could become the place where both sides sit down to ease the dangerous war in the Gulf, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Iranian source, who did not want to be named, said Pakistan carried the message from Washington. He added that “either Turkiye or Pakistan was under consideration as the venue for such talks.” This comes even though Iran has publicly said it will not negotiate with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Pakistan ready to play host
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made Pakistan’s position clear on Tuesday. He offered Islamabad as a neutral place for meaningful talks between the US and Iran. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to host talks for a comprehensive settlement,” he posted on X, directly tagging Trump, Iran’s Foreign Minister and the US envoy.
Malaysia quickly welcomed the move. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called Pakistan’s offer “timely and constructive.” He praised Shehbaz Sharif and said Pakistan’s strong ties in the Muslim world put it in a good position to help start real dialogue. Anwar urged both Washington and Tehran to respond seriously and work toward ending the conflict, not just slowing it down.
Behind-the-scenes efforts
Sources in Islamabad say this offer did not happen overnight. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with his Iranian counterpart at least five times recently. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held two long conversations with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in just a few days. On the other side, Pakistan’s military leadership also stayed in touch with Washington.
Pakistani officials also met Saudi leaders during a recent visit to Riyadh. All these quiet contacts appear to be part of a bigger effort to stop the fighting from getting worse. One insider pointed out that Pakistan has done this kind of work before – helping Iran and Saudi Arabia talk years ago, and bringing the Taliban and America together in Doha.
For now, Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad says he knows nothing about direct or indirect talks between Washington and Tehran. Still, the fact that Tehran is even discussing possible venues shows a small opening for diplomacy in a region that badly needs one.
