Pakistan is making a direct connection between a Trump-led phone-in with some of the region’s top men and a real opening in U.S.-Iran relations. Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, put it this way: after the outreach, we have seen some substance to the progress. He sees it as a move that could well alter the security landscape in West Asia.
Coordinated outreach credited with shifting momentum
Dar pointed to a call with President Donald Trump and heads of state from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan as what has brought the two sides closer to an agreement. A step in the right direction for stability, he would have you believe. Dar made no bones about his admiration for Trump’s approach in a public statement. He also gave kudos to U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the rest of the American team for their part in it all. He extended thanks to Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and his foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, for what he described as a constructive way of working together. There is room for hope, Dar said, that these talks will bear fruit in the end.
Pakistan’s hands-on role since February 28
We have been in close touch with our partners to back the diplomatic side of things, Dar said, going back to late February. He lauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his vision and made sure to note the part played by the army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. It was Munir who put in an appearance for Pakistan on Sunday. Per the official story, he was in Tehran to sit down with the top brass and put some speed behind the push for an accord with the U.S. This isn’t the first time. Back in April, after a ceasefire was put in place, we were the ones who put on the first round of in-person, hard-hitting talks between the U.S. and Iran. No deal was done then, but Islamabad has kept at it with a number of other Muslim nations.
Signals from Washington and regional capitals
Once Munir was done with his travels, Trump put out a word to the effect that a memorandum of understanding with Iran is for the most part worked out. ‘We are now going over the final bits and pieces of the Deal and will be making an announcement in short order,’ he said. He made the post after some one-on-ones with leaders of the region and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. You can see how they are being in on the conversation as things develop. Shehbaz Sharif was on the same page, touting the value of the call with the likes of the Saudis, Qataris, and others. Pakistan, he said, will see its work for peace through with the best of intentions.
What leaders in Islamabad are emphasising
Sharif was pleased with how Munir put in the hours to make the process work. In his view, the kind of give-and-take we’ve had has opened up a way to put some forward motion on what is needed for the region to be at peace. We are looking to be the host for the next session in the near future, Sharif said. And as for Dar, he is of the opinion that talking things out has to come before any kind of confrontation.
Why the latest moves matter
What you have here is a few different capitals in on the same page: don’t let things boil over, and try to find a way to talk it out. By giving due credit to those in Washington, Tehran and the Arab world, Islamabad is showing there is an interest in keeping the ball rolling. The folks in charge here like to think of it as a steady, inclusive process. All the structured calls and face-to-face time is a deliberate way of nailing down the loose ends. Here is what the leadership has been pointing to as evidence of where we are: – Regional capitals were in sync on a call with Trump – Some real progress on the table, per Dar – Munir was in with the Iranians in Tehran – An MoU is for the most part in the bag – We plan to put on the next round in short order
What comes next
Should the memorandum go through, you can bet the focus will be on the nitty-gritty of making it stick. Timelines are not being put on the table by the regional heavyweights, but the fine print is being ironed out.
Islamabad is making itself available to put the next meeting together. The question is whether the progress on paper can become something of substance.
