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Pakistan has unexpectedly stepped up as a mediator between Iran and the United States, following its pivotal role in brokering a fragile ceasefire. Now, it is hosting crucial peace talks in its capital, Islamabad.
Weeks of conflict in the Middle East have resulted in significant loss of life and caused turmoil in global energy markets. However, a glimmer of hope emerged this Wednesday when both nations agreed to halt hostilities temporarily.
Pakistan’s efforts as a diplomatic intermediary have been acknowledged as instrumental in achieving this truce. U.S. President Donald Trump credited discussions with senior Pakistani officials for leading to the two-week cessation of conflict.
As Islamabad prepares for the upcoming peace discussions, the city is under tight security. Armed personnel in military gear are patrolling the streets, with traffic diversions and police checkpoints set up to ensure safety.
The talks are expected to proceed indirectly, with Iranian and U.S. delegations stationed in separate rooms. Pakistani officials will act as messengers, conveying proposals between the two sides—a strategy previously employed in mediation efforts between the two nations facilitated by Oman before the outbreak of the conflict.
The US delegation in Islamabad will include vice president JD Vance, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — the latter of whom is Trump’s son-in-law.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf are leading Iran’s delegation.
Given the seniority of the attendees, it’s the highest-level US-Iran talks since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the first official in-person negotiations between the two sides since former US secretary of state John Kerry negotiated the significant 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew the US from in 2018.
Witkoff and Aragchi participated in multiple rounds of Oman-mediated talks before the US and Israel initiated the war on 28 February with strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Pakistan’s key relationships
Pakistan’s clout as a mediator stems from its unusually wide diplomatic network.
It has cultivated strong links with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and China — with Trump and Pakistani officials crediting China for helping to bring Iran to the negotiating table.
It’s also improved ties with the US, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir forming a close relationship with Trump, accepting an invitation to visit him at the White House last year.
Pakistan also shares a 900km border and deep historical, cultural and religious ties with Iran. It’s home to more than 20 million Shia Muslims, the world’s second-largest such population after Iran.
Stuti Bhatnagar, a lecturer in Indo-Pacific Studies at UNSW Canberra, told SBS News that Pakistan was “situated quite centrally in this conflict, geographically as well as geopolitically”.
“It’s kind of found itself in the right place at the right time,” she said.
However, Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, the actions of which remain an important part of any attempt to secure peace in the region, with Iran demanding that the truce is conditional on Israel ceasing strikes in Lebanon, a demand that Israel and the US have pushed back on.
High stakes for all parties
Pakistan also has a clear stake in the outcome, with the conflict in the region carrying significant security and economic risks.
It imports the large majority of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively choked off in retaliation against US and Israeli aggression.
It also shares a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, under which aggression against one country is considered aggression against both.
Iranian drone and missile strikes have targeted energy infrastructure in Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, as part of a broader campaign targeting US allies in the region and disrupting global oil trade.
Like other Gulf states, Saudi Arabia has so far avoided directly joining the war for fear of further escalation from Iran.
“If the Saudis decided to get aggressive in this war, the Pakistanis would have to side with the Saudis, which would have put it in a very difficult position in the region with Iran,” Bhatnagar said.
Mansoor Ahmed, an honorary lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, told SBS News Pakistan’s role as a mediator was the result of several converging factors.
“[It has] goodwill with all the main players all at the same time, enhanced strategic leverage and influence — especially in the wake of the India-Pakistan conflict of May — and direct stakes in ensuring that the conflict doesn’t really escalate,” he said.
What about other mediators in the region?
Along with Oman, Qatar has a long track record of mediating between adversaries in the region, playing a key behind-the-scenes role in previous negotiations between the US and Iran, including a 2023 prisoner swap deal.
However, it has reportedly been reluctant to take on a central mediating role in the current conflict.
Like other Gulf states, Qatar has faced attacks on its energy infrastructure during the war — from both Iran and Israel.
According to Ahmed, it also lacks the particular set of relationships that Pakistan has cultivated.
“Qatar doesn’t have that kind of strategic partnership and relationship with Saudi Arabia, and with Türkiye and with China, and the US and Iran all at the same time,” he said.
Bhatnagar said there had also been a breakdown of trust in the region.
“Iran has not attacked Oman directly, so there’s some respect there. But Qatar and all the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries have actually faced the brunt of Iranian attacks in this war.”
— With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse.
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