Is Pakistan Positioning Itself As A Mediator In The US-Iran War? Here's What We Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Pakistan is positioning itself as the lead mediator trying to broker an end to the United States and Israel’s war against Iran, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Pakistani army chief Asim Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, the newspaper reported, citing two people briefed on the call.

On 23 March, the US president Donald Trump announced there had been “productive conversations” about a “complete and total resolution” to the US-Israeli war with Iran. Responding to President Trump’s claim, Iran’s foreign ministry, however, issued a statement denying any such talks with Washington, the Islamic Republic’s media reported.

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In another development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah said he had spoken with Donald Trump. In a post on X, Netanyahu said the US president believes there is “an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements” of the joint US-Israel operation to “realise the goals of the war” by making an agreement with Iran.

A meeting planned in Islamabad?

Meanwhile, a Gulf diplomat said an energy catastrophe may have been averted for now if a planned US attack on Iran’s energy facilities and Iran’s response had occurred, alluding to recent de‐escalation efforts.

An Egyptian official told the Associated Press that the US and Iran exchanged messages over the weekend through regional intermediaries, including Egypt, Turkey and Pakista, indicating back‐channel communications aimed at reducing tensions.

The US has set 9 April as a potential date to end the ongoing war on Iran, amid expectations of upcoming talks between the two sides, Israeli media reported Monday.

9 April deadline to end Iran war

“Washington has set April 9 as a target date for ending the war, leaving about 21 days for continued fighting and negotiations," said the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing an unnamed Israeli official, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.

In another report, an Israeli official told Axios reporter that efforts were underway to bring together senior representatives from both sides, including Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Vice President JD Vance is also potentially attending.

The mediating countries were trying to convene a meeting in Islamabad - with Ghalibaf and other officials representing Tehran, and Witkoff, Kushner and possibly Vice President Vance representing the US, possibly later this week, the Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on X.

Israeli media reports also indicate that Witkoff and Jared Kushner have engaged with Ghalibaf, who has emerged as a key decision-maker during the conflict.

LiveMint could not verify any of these developments.

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Earlier on Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a telephonic conversation with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkia stressed the urgent need for collective efforts for de-escalation in West Asia.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that Sharif conveyed his “serious concern” to Pezeshkian over the “dangerous ongoing hostilities in the Gulf region”.

In view of this grave situation, the prime minister underscored the urgent need to work collectively for de-escalation and a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

The West Asia crisi began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, which sparked a conflict.

“In view of this grave situation, the prime minister underscored the urgent need to work collectively for de-escalation and a return to dialogue and diplomacy amongst all the neighbouring countries to settle their differences,” the statement said.

Four Weeks of War

The war, now in its fourth week, has already seen several dramatic turning points - the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the bombing of a key Iranian gas field, and strikes targeting oil and gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.

The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, shaken the global economy, sent oil prices surging, and endangered some of the world’s busiest air corridors.

(With agency inputs)

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