Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Islamabad is ready to host talks between the US and Iran to settle the conflict in the Middle East.
In a post on X, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East.
“Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said.
The development comes a day after Trump said the US and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East”.
He said talks had begun on Sunday and continued into Monday, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner involved.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president described the past two days of discussions with Iran as “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE”, signalling hopes for a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST”.
A day ago, the Financial Times reported that Pakistan is positioning itself as the lead mediator trying to broker an end to the US and Israeli war against Iran.
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, Reuters quoted the newspaper that cited two people briefed on the call.
It also reported that senior Pakistani officials were back-channelling communications between Tehran, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The White House also confirmed Trump’s call with Field Marshal Asim Munir.
When asked about a possible visit by Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the US will not negotiate through the press. This is a fluid situation, and speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final until they are formally announced by the White House.”
Over the past 48 hours, Pakistan, in close coordination with Turkey and Egypt, has played a pivotal role in back-channel diplomacy, relaying messages between the US and Iran to prevent further conflict and maintain stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi has maintained that Islamabad is “already ready to host talks” between Iran and the United States.
The spokesperson told the US broadcast CNN on Monday night “If both sides agree, Pakistan is always ready to host talks.”
Separately, in a conversation with a local news outlet on Tuesday, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Islamabad remained firmly committed to resolving the conflict through dialogue and engagement, in line with its longstanding foreign policy principles, according to APP.
“Pakistan, consistent with its longstanding policy, remains committed to the resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East/Persian Gulf through diplomatic means and engagements,” he was quoted by the daily as saying.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war that the US and Israel launched on February 28 against Iran, which has upended markets, driven up fuel costs, accelerated global inflation fears and convulsed the Western defence alliance.
