ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday vowed to support Iran and the United States in reaching a peaceful settlement as Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued to weigh on the prospects of the upcoming dialogue, with Islamabad stepping up diplomatic engagement to keep a two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington from collapsing.
The commitment came during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, where they reviewed the progress of Pakistan’s mediatory efforts and finalised arrangements for the talks.
“They expressed satisfaction over the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed the need for maintaining peace and ceasefire by all parties,” an official statement said.
“They appreciated the restraint demonstrated by all sides and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all-out support to both sides to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement,” it added.
Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, in a TV interview, disclosed that their forces were last night all set to respond to the ceasefire violation when Pakistan intervened and conveyed messages that the United States would stop Israel.
The Prime Minister’s Office said PM Shehbaz lauded the commitment of the parties involved and wished them success in their pursuit of peace, as Islamabad positioned itself as a central facilitator at a time when the ceasefire remains under visible strain due to violations.
PM Shehbaz simultaneously launched a round of intensive diplomatic outreach, holding telephone conversations with multiple world leaders with a consistent focus on the worsening situation in Lebanon and the need to uphold the ceasefire to enable negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a statement, warned that “the repeated aggression by the Zionist entity against Lebanon is a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords”.
“The continuation of these aggressions will render negotiations meaningless; our hands will remain on the trigger, and Iran will never abandon its Lebanese brothers and sisters,” he added.
In separate conversations with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, PM Shehbaz reiterated the urgency of preserving the ceasefire and preventing further escalation.
The foreign leaders expressed concern over continued hostilities in Lebanon and emphasised that adherence to the truce would be critical for the success of the Islamabad talks.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also engaged in a series of diplomatic contacts to consolidate international backing ahead of the talks.
Mr Dar spoke with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola, Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The flurry of calls underlined growing international concern that Israeli operations in Lebanon, which Iran insists must be part of any ceasefire framework, could derail the diplomatic process before it begins.
