ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is exploring a China-backed revival of US-Iran talks aimed at ending their nearly five-month war, three Pakistani sources told Reuters.
Exploratory discussions took place during Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni’s second visit to Islamabad within 10 days. Momeni met Pakistani leaders, including army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, according to a Reuters report.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Momeni that Pakistan would continue acting as a mediator and facilitator. Momeni credited Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Munir with helping secure the earlier Islamabad memorandum, the Pakistani government said.
However, a Pakistani official said Iran and its allies must halt attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states before talks can resume. Islamabad has conveyed that condition to Tehran, Reuters reported.
The requirement followed a Houthi declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and attacks on two Saudi oil tankers. Pakistan has condemned the attacks and maintains close financial and defence ties with Riyadh.
Dar discussed the diplomatic effort with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Shanghai on July 16. China and Pakistan called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and renewed engagement between Washington and Tehran, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
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Beijing has backed Pakistan’s mediation as the conflict disrupts the Strait of Hormuz and threatens Red Sea shipping. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the main buyer of its crude oil exports.
Pakistan and Qatar previously mediated a June memorandum that created a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent settlement.
Indirect discussions failed to yield a breakthrough, and fighting resumed after both sides accused each other of violations.
