Pakistan maintains ‘delicate balancing act’ as it hosts Iran talks

Al Jazeera:

As the United States-Israeli war on Iran entered its 30th day, key regional powers have converged on Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, in a bid to de-escalate the fighting in the Middle East, which has caused a global energy crisis.

Driven by growing concerns over the fallout of the conflict, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived on Sunday for two days of talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

“Islamabad has now become the hub of all diplomatic activity to try to bring an end to the US-Israel war on Iran,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reported from the Pakistani capital.

He noted that the meetings are a platform initially discussed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, is now trying to use this foundation to “build a regional bloc of sorts” that could eventually bring together broader powers, including Indonesia and Malaysia.

The diplomatic push follows a Saturday evening phone call between Dar and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. According to a readout posted on Araghchi’s official Telegram channel, Dar briefed him on the four nations’ efforts to achieve an immediate halt to the war. During the call, Araghchi detailed what he described as “heinous crimes” committed by the US and Israel against Iran, accusing them of deliberately targeting schools, hospitals, other public infrastructure and residential areas.

As an initial confidence-building measure after the ministers’ call, Islamabad announced that Tehran had agreed to allow 20 Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz at a rate of two per day.