Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to embark on crucial visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye this week, as his diplomatic efforts to facilitate a second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran appear to gain traction.
Sharif’s Diplomatic Push
President Asif Ali Zardari confirmed on Tuesday that Prime Minister Sharif had briefed him on his initiative to engage fellow mediators and secure further negotiations. This diplomatic push coincides with a two-week ceasefire that has temporarily halted US and Israeli strikes on Iran. President Zardari urged the Prime Minister and other officials to maintain active engagement with the US, Iran, and other key international powers to sustain the ongoing peace process.
Growing Optimism for Talks
Following unconfirmed reports on Monday regarding backchannel negotiations for new peace talks, comments from US President Donald Trump and the United Nations on Tuesday have indicated significant support for Sharif’s mediation efforts. This renewed optimism comes despite the recent conclusion of 21 hours of face-to-face discussions involving US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday, which ended without immediate results.
President Trump, in an interview with the New York Post published Tuesday, suggested that talks could resume in Pakistan within the next two days. The newspaper initially reported Trump indicating Europe as the venue but later clarified that he believed it was “more likely” for the talks to return to Islamabad, commending Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir for “doing a great job.”
The Associated Press also reported on Tuesday that a diplomat from one of the mediating countries confirmed an agreement between Tehran and Washington for more talks, though the location, timing, and composition of delegations are yet to be finalized. Islamabad and Geneva are reportedly under consideration as potential host cities.
UN Secretary-General’s Perspective
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who met with Pakistan’s deputy prime minister on Tuesday, stated it was “highly probable” that ceasefire talks would restart. He emphasized the complexity of the issues at hand, noting, “I think it would be unrealistic to expect… such a complex problem, long-lasting problem, could be resolved in the first session of a negotiation. So we need negotiations to go on, and we need a ceasefire to persist as negotiations go on.”
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, highlighted the crucial aspect that “the ceasefire is holding.” He further added that a vital development is the acknowledgment by both the US and Iran that “the lines of communication are open.”
During the fragile two-week ceasefire, the US military has implemented a naval blockade of Iran’s ports and coastal areas. This action followed Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has contributed to a significant rise in global oil prices. Meanwhile, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, discussed the potential talks between Tehran and Washington during a recent phone call.
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